Patents by Inventor Akihiko Utsugi

Akihiko Utsugi 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: 8941760
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a clip part and an incremental processing part. The clip part sets a threshold value as an output luminance value of a process object pixel when a luminance value of the process object pixel of an image data having luminance values of a plurality of pixels is less than the threshold value set in advance. The incremental processing part finds and holds an incremental value of the output luminance value relative to the luminance value of the process object pixel, and finds the output luminance value of the process object pixel by subtracting the incremental value from the luminance value when the luminance value of the process object pixel is the threshold value or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8824832
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image reducing section generating at least one reduced image by generating a reduced pixel with reference to pixel values by each predetermined area of a target image being a process object, a noise extracting section extracting a noise component at a frequency band according to a reduction ratio of the reduced image for each reduced pixel based on the reduced image, a noise subtraction section subtracting the noise component of the reduced pixel from each of pixels at the predetermined area being referred to generate the reduced pixel, and an area smoothing section smoothing the pixels with each other at the predetermined area being referred to generate the reduced pixel based on the noise component of the reduced pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8817137
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an image input part inputting image data formed of a first type pixel in which a first color element is known, a second type pixel in which a second color element is known, and a third type pixel in which a third color element is known, a first color element interpolating part determining a first interpolation value of the first color element based on the first type pixels, a first convexoconcave structure calculating part calculating a first convexoconcave structure based on either of the second type pixels and the third type pixels, a first convexoconcave addition part adding the first convexoconcave structure to the first interpolation value to determine a second interpolation value, a first color range calculating part determining a range of the first color element based on the first type pixels, and a clip part determining a third interpolation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8736720
    Abstract: An image processing device of the present application detects a color drift of an input image, and includes a saturation reducing section and a color drift detecting section. The saturation reducing section reduces a saturation of the input image and generates a saturation reduction image. The color drift detecting section detects a color drift of the saturation reduction image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8625923
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an edge emphasizing unit configured to form an edge emphasized image by emphasizing an edge of an input image, a range setting unit configured to set a pixel value range of a target pixel value of a target pixel of the input image based on a pixel value difference between the target pixel value and a neighboring pixel value of a neighboring pixel of the input image, and based on an edge emphasized neighboring pixel value of an edge emphasized neighboring pixel of the edge emphasized image, and a ringing control unit configured to restrict an edge emphasized target pixel value of an edge emphasized target pixel of the edge emphasized image in the pixel value range. The edge emphasized neighboring pixel corresponds to the neighboring pixel position of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8559762
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a storage unit that records position information for a defective pixel; a setting unit that sets the defective pixel as an interpolation subject pixel, on the basis of the recorded position information; a selection unit that selects an optimum calculation equation for interpolated value from among a plurality of calculation equations for interpolated value in order to interpolate the pixel value of the interpolation subject pixel; and an interpolation unit that interpolates the pixel value of the interpolation subject pixel by using the optimum calculation equation for interpolated value selected by the selection unit; wherein the optimum calculation equation for interpolated value is one of the calculation equations for interpolated value that can be applied to the interpolation subject pixel, and has the highest interpolation accuracy of the calculation equations for interpolated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8514302
    Abstract: An image processing equipment generates a reduced image corresponding to an obtained image in parallel with a processing of storing the generated reduced image in a reduced image storing part, and pipelines a processing of extracting a low-frequency noise component of each of pixels included in the obtained image and a processing of sequentially subtracting the low-frequency being extracted from pixel data corresponding to one of the obtained image stored in the image storing part and an adjusted image generated from the obtained, so as to achieve a pipeline processing of a multi-resolution noise filtering with a few line memories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8509533
    Abstract: An image processing device that converts a first image captured via an optical system in which at least one of a plurality of color components is missing in one pixel and MTF characteristics are different between a reference color component and at least one missing color component at an imaging plane, into a second image in which MTF characteristics are matched, includes: an image creation unit that acquires information concerning differences in MTF characteristics between the missing color component and the reference color component in a pixel having the missing color component of the first image and creates the second image by using the acquired information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Ishiga, Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8446493
    Abstract: In order to effectively and efficiently perform noise reduction by smoothing, an image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an image inputting part inputting an image in which a first pixels and a second pixels indicating mutually different color components are included and at least the second pixels are arranged at discrete positions, a color estimating part estimating first color component data at the second pixels based on first color component data of the first pixels, a calculating part calculating color-difference data at the second pixels based on the first color component data at the second pixels and second color component data of the second pixels, a smoothing part performing smoothing processing on a discrete color-difference image formed of the color-difference data being calculated at the second pixels, and a color-difference estimating part estimating color-difference data at pixels other than the second pixels on the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Publication number: 20120287299
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an image input part inputting image data formed of a first type pixel in which a first color element is known, a second type pixel in which a second color element is known, and a third type pixel in which a third color element is known, a first color element interpolating part determining a first interpolation value of the first color element based on the first type pixels, a first convexoconcave structure calculating part calculating a first convexoconcave structure based on either of the second type pixels and the third type pixels, a first convexoconcave addition part adding the first convexoconcave structure to the first interpolation value to determine a second interpolation value, a first color range calculating part determining a range of the first color element based on the first type pixels, and a clip part determining a third interpolation value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiko UTSUGI
  • Patent number: 8284278
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a location information storing section, a correction coefficient storing section, a correction object pixel location setting section, a correction object pixel data extracting section, an other-color pixel data extracting section, and a pixel data correcting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Publication number: 20120243801
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image reducing section generating at least one reduced image by generating a reduced pixel with reference to pixel values by each predetermined area of a target image being a process object, a noise extracting section extracting a noise component at a frequency band according to a reduction ratio of the reduced image for each reduced pixel based on the reduced image, a noise subtraction section subtracting the noise component of the reduced pixel from each of pixels at the predetermined area being referred to generate the reduced pixel, and an area smoothing section smoothing the pixels with each other at the predetermined area being referred to generate the reduced pixel based on the noise component of the reduced pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiko UTSUGI
  • Patent number: 8243158
    Abstract: An image processing device including a storing unit storing the position of a focus detecting pixel of an image-capturing sensor containing plural pixels having spectroscopic characterizations corresponding to respective plural color components with the focus detecting pixel, a pixel interpolating unit generating an interpolation pixel value of the focus detecting pixel by using pixel values of pixels neighboring to the focus detecting pixel, neighborhood-pixel estimating unit calculating an estimation pixel value corresponding to a pixel value when the pixels neighboring to the focus detecting pixel have the same spectroscopic characterization as the focus detecting pixel, a high-frequency component calculating unit calculating a high frequency component of the image by using a pixel value of the focus detecting pixel and the estimation pixel value, and a high frequency component adding unit adding the interpolation pixel value with the high frequency component to calculate a pixel value of the focus detecti
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8243173
    Abstract: In order to perform a pipeline processing on a noise filtering processing, which uses a multi-resolution noise filtering, with a few line memories, the way to select an area of a reduced image which is used by the extraction of the low-frequency noise component from the reduced image is modified. By extracting the low-frequency noise component from the area being selected by the modified way, it is possible to suppress a volume of image data which needs to be read prior to the noise filtering object pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Publication number: 20120200748
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image importing unit importing an image, a storage unit storing pixel values of a plurality of pixels included in a predetermined range of the image, a first noise removal processing unit carrying out first noise removal processing for a pixel value of a target pixel which is a target of noise removal, with reference to the pixel values of the pixels stored in the storage unit, and a second noise removal processing unit carrying out second noise removal processing for a pixel value of the target pixel which is subjected to the first noise removal processing, successively immediately after the first noise removal processing by the first noise removal processing unit, with reference to the pixel values of the pixels stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiko UTSUGI
  • Publication number: 20120200733
    Abstract: In order to effectively and efficiently perform noise reduction by smoothing, an image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an image inputting part inputting an image in which a first pixels and a second pixels indicating mutually different color components are included and at least the second pixels are arranged at discrete positions, a color estimating part estimating first color component data at the second pixels based on first color component data of the first pixels, a calculating part calculating color-difference data at the second pixels based on the first color component data at the second pixels and second color component data of the second pixels, a smoothing part performing smoothing processing on a discrete color-difference image formed of the color-difference data being calculated at the second pixels, and a color-difference estimating part estimating color-difference data at pixels other than the second pixels on the input image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiko UTSUGI
  • Patent number: 8233710
    Abstract: An image processing device that converts a first image captured via an optical system in which at least one of a plurality of color components is missing in one pixel and MTF characteristics are different between a reference color component and at least one missing color component at an imaging plane, into a second image in which MTF characteristics are matched, includes: an image creation unit that acquires information concerning differences in MTF characteristics between the missing color component and the reference color component in a pixel having the missing color component of the first image and creates the second image by using the acquired information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Ishiga, Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8155477
    Abstract: A proposition is to provide an image processing method, a carrier medium carrying an image processing program, an image processing apparatus, and an imaging apparatus capable of attaining line reproducibility and magnification distortion reduction in a well-balanced manner in an image. The image processing method is an image processing method for performing predetermined geometric transformation processing (h(?)) on an image to be processed, in which the predetermined geometric transformation processing (h(?)) includes geometric transformation processing for magnification distortion reduction (h=? tan (?/2)^(?p)) that reduces discrepancy between circumferential magnification and radial magnification of the image to be processed, and at least one parameter (?p) that determines the strength or content of the predetermined geometric transformation processing (h=? tan (?/2)^(?p)) is set according to the structure of the image to be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8155439
    Abstract: An image processing device of the present application includes a color drift correcting section, a saturation reduction calculating section, and a color correcting section. The color drift correcting section corrects a color drift of an input image and generates a color drift correction image. The saturation reduction calculating section calculates a degree of saturation reduction caused by the color drift correction by comparing the input image with the color drift correction image. The color correcting section performs a color correction depending on the degree of saturation reduction with respect to a processed image of either one of the input image and the color drift correction image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi
  • Patent number: 8155472
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, includes: an information acquisition unit that obtains position information indicating a position of a first pixel group made up with pixels set along a predetermined direction among a plurality of pixels constituting an image; a smoothing processing unit that executes smoothing processing on pixel values indicated at the pixels in the first pixel group; and a control unit that controls the smoothing processing unit so that the smoothing processing unit executes the smoothing processing differently when using pixel values indicated at least at some pixels in the first pixel group during the smoothing processing and when using pixel values indicated at least at some pixels in a second pixel group among the plurality of pixels during the smoothing processing, the second pixel group being different from the first pixel group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Utsugi