Abstract: An image capturing apparatus that shifts an image capturing mode between a first mode in which a filter for attenuating infrared light is inserted to an optical path of an imaging optical system and a second mode in which the filter is removed from the optical path of the imaging optical system and captures an image by the imaging optical system, the image capturing apparatus includes a control unit configured to determine whether a first visible light level detected by the visible light sensor is normal, based on a difference value between the first visible light level and a second visible light level, in which the second visible light level is acquired by estimating based on a parameter regarding exposure, and wherein the control unit changes a predetermined threshold value used to shift the image capturing mode, based on a result of the determination.

Abstract: A traffic monitoring system generates a low-light image of a set of. The traffic system comprises a camera and a processing unit. The camera generates a first image comprising a set of pixels, each pixel comprising colour encoding values corresponding to a pixel colour, a saturation value, and a luma value. The processing unit is configured to, for each pixel corresponding to a first set of colours, reducing the saturation value of the pixel, and where the pixel colour corresponds to red and where the luma value of the pixel is below a first threshold, reducing the saturation value of the pixel, where the pixel colour corresponds to red and where the luma value of the pixel is equal to or above the first threshold, preserve the saturation value of the pixel, and generate the low-light image based on the modified colour encoding values of the first image.

Abstract: A traffic monitoring system generates a low-light image of a set of. The traffic system comprises a camera and a processing unit. The camera generates a first image comprising a set of pixels, each pixel comprising colour encoding values corresponding to a pixel colour, a saturation value, and a luma value. The processing unit is configured to, for each pixel corresponding to a first set of colours, reducing the saturation value of the pixel, and where the pixel colour corresponds to red and where the luma value of the pixel is below a first threshold, reducing the saturation value of the pixel, where the pixel colour corresponds to red and where the luma value of the pixel is equal to or above the first threshold, preserve the saturation value of the pixel, and generate the low-light image based on the modified colour encoding values of the first image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of acquiring images with high visibility is provided. A system control circuit of an image processing apparatus acquires the turning speed of the image capturing device capable of being turned, determines a first intensity as the intensity of noise reduction processing when the turning speed is higher than a speed in a predetermined speed range, and determines a second intensity lower than the first intensity as the intensity of the noise reduction processing when the turning speed is within the predetermined speed range. An image processing circuit of the image processing apparatus performs the noise reduction processing on an image of a target frame, which is one of a plurality of images of frames captured by the image capturing device, at the determined intensity, based on the image of the target frame and an image of a frame preceding the target frame.

Abstract: A histogram is detected from an acquired image, and a ratio of a pixel distribution for a range from a preliminarily set low-brightness-side determination point to a preliminarily set high-brightness-side determination point to the entire histogram is calculated for the detected histogram. In a case where the ratio exceeds a preliminarily set threshold, it is estimated that there is fog or mist and a subject looks hazy.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of acquiring images with high visibility is provided. A system control circuit of an image processing apparatus acquires the turning speed of the image capturing device capable of being turned, determines a first intensity as the intensity of noise reduction processing when the turning speed is higher than a speed in a predetermined speed range, and determines a second intensity lower than the first intensity as the intensity of the noise reduction processing when the turning speed is within the predetermined speed range. An image processing circuit of the image processing apparatus performs the noise reduction processing on an image of a target frame, which is one of a plurality of images of frames captured by the image capturing device, at the determined intensity, based on the image of the target frame and an image of a frame preceding the target frame.

Abstract: A histogram is detected from an acquired image, and a ratio of a pixel distribution for a range from a preliminarily set low-brightness-side determination point to a preliminarily set high-brightness-side determination point to the entire histogram is calculated for the detected histogram. In a case where the ratio exceeds a preliminarily set threshold, it is estimated that there is fog or mist and a subject looks hazy.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which is capable of appropriately correcting the contrast of an image. A luminance histogram is detected from an image including a subject, and a subject distance to the subject is measured. A frequency percentage, which defines a luminance range in the luminance histogram for use in calculating a control point for a tone curve used to correct contrast of the image, is decided according to the subject distance. The frequency percentage is higher when the subject distance is long than when the subject distance is short.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a histogram detecting unit that detects a luminance histogram from an input image. A determination unit determines control points for use in generation of a tone curve based on such a luminance that a percentage from a low-luminance side in the detected luminance histogram is equal to a first value, and a percentage from a high-luminance side in the detected luminance histogram is equal to a second value. A tone curve generating unit generates a tone curve based on the calculated control points. An image processing unit performs image processing based on the tone curve. A judgment unit judges whether illuminance of a shooting environment is low. A point light source detecting unit detects a component originating from a point light source from the luminance histogram. When the illuminance of the shooting environment is low, the determination unit makes the second value greater.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which is capable of appropriately correcting the contrast of an image. A luminance histogram is detected from an image including a subject, and a subject distance to the subject is measured. A frequency percentage, which defines a luminance range in the luminance histogram for use in calculating a control point for a tone curve used to correct contrast of the image, is decided according to the subject distance. The frequency percentage is higher when the subject distance is long than when the subject distance is short.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus which appropriately performs tone correction in a low-illuminance environment. Control points for use in generation of a tone curve are determined based on such a luminance that a percentage from a low-luminance side in a luminance histogram detected from an input image is equal to a first value, and such a luminance that a percentage from a high-luminance side in the luminance histogram is equal to a second value. A tone curve is generated based on the control points, and image processing is performed based on the tone curve. When illuminance of a shooing environment is low in determining the control points for use in generation of the tone curve, the second value is made greater than in a case where when illuminance of the shooing environment is not low.