Patents by Inventor Takefumi Nagumo

Takefumi Nagumo 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: 8254726
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus that converts an input image having first resolution into an output image having second resolution higher than the first resolution includes a super-resolution processing unit that converts the input image into an SR image having the second resolution through motion compensation, a motion mask generating unit that generates a motion mask indicating an accuracy of estimation, an edge direction information generating unit that generates edge direction information indicating an edge direction of each area of the input image, a weight map generating unit that generates a weight map indicating likelihood of the edge direction of each of the areas, an interpolation processing unit that converts the input image into an interpolated image having the second resolution, a weight computing unit that computes a weight, and an image generating unit that generates the output image by constructing a weighted sum of the SR image and interpolated image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Ichihashi, Takefumi Nagumo, Michel Xavier, Hiroshi Oryoji
  • Patent number: 8253826
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus is provided, which includes: a correction data acquiring section that acquires correction data for image correction; a recording section that records the correction data acquired by the correction data acquiring section; a photographing condition acquiring section that acquires image photographing conditions; a retrieving section that retrieves the correction data, corresponding to the photographing conditions acquired by the photographing condition acquiring section, from the correction data recorded in the recording section; and a photographing section that photographs an image on the basis of the correction data retrieved by the retrieving section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Aisaka, Masatoshi Yokokawa, Jun Murayama, Takefumi Nagumo, Ken Tamayama, Tatsuo Fujiwara, Tamaki Eyama
  • Patent number: 8169490
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a motion prediction processor configured to detect a motion vector that indicates inter-image motion between a current image and a reference image; a motion compensation processor configured to perform a motion compensation process for the reference image by using the motion vector and generate a motion compensated image; an addition processor configured to generate a noise reduced image in which noise of the current image is reduced by adding the current image and the motion compensated image; an addition determination unit configured to compute an addition weight in units of pixels of the motion compensated image; a down-sampling processor configured to perform a process for reducing the current image and the motion compensated image; and an up-sampling processor configured to perform a process for expanding an addition coefficient map that is an output of the addition determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhi Kondo, Takefumi Nagumo, Jun Luo
  • Patent number: 8155190
    Abstract: A coding apparatus includes: an intra-coding complexity detecting section that detects an intra-coding complexity indicating a complexity of an intra-coding process; an inter-coding complexity detecting section that detects an inter-coding complexity indicating a complexity of an inter-coding process; a characteristic curve calculating section that calculates a characteristic curve indicating a value of strength data indicating the strength of a deblocking filter with a data amount per unit time of coded data as a variable, on the basis of the intra-coding complexity and the inter-coding complexity; and a strength value calculating section that calculates a value of the strength data by substituting a data amount of the coded data into the characteristic curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Imamura, Tatsuo Fujiwara, Takefumi Nagumo, Makoto Daido
  • Patent number: 8126281
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for generating a motion compensation image. The image processing apparatus includes: a pixel-relative-position calculation section calculating a relative position between a pixel position of a pixel constituting the motion compensation image and a pixel position of a reference pixel of a reference image to be used for calculating a pixel value of the pixel on the basis of motion vector information; a relative-position quantization section performing quantization processing of relative-position information calculated by the pixel-relative-position calculation section and generating quantized-relative-position information; and a motion-compensation-image generation section generating a motion compensation image by calculating a pixel value of a constituent pixel of the motion compensation image on the basis of the quantized-relative-position information and a pixel value of the reference pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takefumi Nagumo, Hideyuki Ichihashi
  • Publication number: 20120019725
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a plurality of addition means and an image processing means. The addition means performs addition processing of adding pixels of a differential image at a second resolution representing a difference between an inputted image at a first resolution and an image at the second resolution higher than the first resolution as pixels of an inputted image at the second resolution. The image processing means is configured to perform second and subsequent addition processing, and generate an image of the second resolution as a processing result by performing the addition processing for a predetermined number of times. The addition processing is performed with inputs of an image at the first resolution and an image at the second resolution obtained by an immediately preceding addition processing, which are different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Inventor: Takefumi NAGUMO
  • Publication number: 20110310302
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a superimposition processing unit that performs a blending process for a plurality of continuously captured images, wherein the superimposition processing unit is configured to selectively input luminance signal information of a RAW image or a full color image as a processing target image and perform a superimposition process, and performs a process for sequentially updating data that is stored in a memory for storing two image frames so as to enable superimposition of any desired number of images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Satoru TAKEUCHI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Teppei KURITA, Tomonori MASUNO, Takefumi NAGUMO, Yuhi KONDO
  • Publication number: 20110274370
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus including an up-sampling section configured to carry out up-sampling processing in order to generate an up-sampled image, a motion-compensated image generation section configured to generate a motion-compensated image as a result of correction processing to adjust a referenced image having the second resolution to a photographing-object position on the up-sampled image by making use of information on a difference between the up-sampled image and the referenced image, a blending processing section configured to generate a blended image as a result of blending processing to blend the up-sampled image with the referenced image, and an output-image generation section configured to receive and process the blended image as well as the up-sampled image in order to generate an output blended image obtained by blending a super-resolution processing-result image with a noise-reduction processing-result image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Inventors: Yuhi KONDO, Takefumi NAGUMO, Jun LUO
  • Publication number: 20110274368
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: an upsampling section; a motion compensated image generating section; a blend processing section; and an output image generating section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Inventors: Yuhi KONDO, Takefumi Nagumo, Jun Luo
  • Patent number: 8036488
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a plurality of addition means and an image processing means. The addition means performs addition processing of adding pixels of a differential image at a second resolution representing a difference between an inputted image at a first resolution and an image at the second resolution higher than the first resolution as pixels of an inputted image at the second resolution. The image processing means is configured to perform second and subsequent addition processing, and generate an image of the second resolution as a processing result by performing the addition processing for a predetermined number of times. The addition processing is performed with inputs of an image at the first resolution and an image at the second resolution obtained by an immediately preceding addition processing, which are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takefumi Nagumo
  • Publication number: 20110235942
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a motion prediction processing unit detecting an inter-image motion between a standard image and a reference image; a motion compensation processing unit generating a motion-compensated image by moving the reference image so as to be aligned with the standard image in a pixel position; an addition processing unit generating a noise-reduced image from which noise of the standard image is reduced; and an addition determination unit calculating an addition weight of the motion-compensated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Luo, Takefumi Nagumo, Yuhi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20110211765
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including a super resolving processor including: a high frequency estimator which generates difference image information between a low resolution image input as a processing object image of a super resolving process and a mid-processing image of the super resolving process or a processed image, that is, an initial image; and a calculator which performs a process of updating the processed image through a process of calculation between the difference image information output from the high frequency estimator and the processed image, wherein the high frequency estimator performs a learning type data process using learned data in the difference image information generating process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takefumi Nagumo, Takeshi Miyai, Michel Xavier
  • Publication number: 20110194607
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a bit conversion unit that performs reduction in a bit number allocated to a pixel for a criterion image and a reference image and generates a criterion image and a reference image which are hierarchized according to a bit number allocated to a pixel, and a motion vector detection unit that performs coarse detection of a motion vector by block matching using the criterion image and the reference image of which a bit number is reduced, decides a search range for fine detection of a motion vector based on the motion vector detected by the coarse detection, and performs fine detection of a motion vector using an image in the search range which belongs to a hierarchy equal to or more than an image used in the coarse detection in a bit number allocated to a pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Jun LUO, Takefumi Nagumo, Yuhi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20110122953
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method that allow the generation of a high-accuracy prediction image without increasing the processing load. A difference image between motion compensation images MC0 and MC1 extracted from different reference frames is calculated. A low-pass filter is applied to the difference image, and the gain of an obtained image is adjusted. A high-pass filter is applied to an image obtained by the application of a low-pass filter, and the gain of an obtained image is adjusted. An image obtained by adding the output of a gain adjustment circuit 53 and the output of a gain adjustment circuit 55 is added with the motion compensation image MC0, and a prediction image is generated. The present invention can be applied to an apparatus that performs prediction encoding, and an apparatus that decodes information encoded through prediction encoding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ohji Nakagami, Junichi Tanaka, Takefumi Nagumo, Yoichi Yagasaki
  • Publication number: 20100259649
    Abstract: A photographing apparatus is provided, which includes: a correction data acquiring section that acquires correction data for image correction; a recording section that records the correction data acquired by the correction data acquiring section; a photographing condition acquiring section that acquires image photographing conditions; a retrieving section that retrieves the correction data, corresponding to the photographing conditions acquired by the photographing condition acquiring section, from the correction data recorded in the recording section; and a photographing section that photographs an image on the basis of the correction data retrieved by the retrieving section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuki Aisaka, Masatoshi Yokokawa, Jun Murayama, Takefumi Nagumo, Ken Tamayama, Tatsuo Fujiwara, Tamaki Eyama
  • Publication number: 20100195735
    Abstract: An image-coding format converting apparatus comprising an EMPEG2 image decoder 30, a resolution/frame rate converter 31, a motion vector converter 32, and an MPEG4 encoder 33. The EMPEG2 decoder 30 decodes a bit stream of EMPEG2 image codes, generating an image signal. The resolution/frame rate converter 31 converts the image signal. The MPEG4 encoder 33 encodes the output of the resolution/frame rate converter 31, generating a bit stream of MPEG4 image codes. In the resolution/frame rate converter 31, pixels are added or extracted in accordance with the start position of a macro block, thus adjusting the input image signal to one than can easily be encoded to MPEG4 image codes. The motion vector converter 32 generates an MPEG4 motion vector from parameters such as an MPEG2 motion vector. The MPEG4 encoder 33 uses the MPEG4 motion vector to encode the output of the resolution/frame rate converter 31.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zhu Yiwen, Yoichi Yagasaki, Takefumi Nagumo, Kuniaki Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20100183245
    Abstract: An image processor performing super-resolution of converting an input image with first resolution to an output image with second resolution higher than the first resolution on consecutive input images includes a prediction unit predicting the output image with the second resolution of a current frame using the input image of the current frame and the output image obtained by the super-resolution on an input image of a previous frame; a generation unit generating a reduced image with the first resolution composed of pixels at different phases of the prediction image using a prediction image obtained by the prediction of the prediction unit; a difference calculation unit calculating a difference between the input image of the current frame and the reduced image; and an addition unit adding the difference up-sampled to the second resolution to the prediction image, thus generating the output image with the second resolution of the current frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oryoji, Takefumi Nagumo, Hideyuki Ichihashi
  • Publication number: 20100183232
    Abstract: An image processor performing super-resolution of converting an input image with first resolution to an output image with second resolution higher than the first resolution on consecutive input images includes a prediction unit predicting the output image with the second resolution of a current frame using the input image of the current frame and the output image obtained by the super-resolution on an input image of a previous frame; a generation unit generating a reduced image with the first resolution composed of pixels at different phases of the prediction image using a prediction image obtained by the prediction of the prediction unit; a difference calculation unit calculating a difference between the input image of the current frame and the reduced image; and an addition unit adding the difference up-sampled to the second resolution to the prediction image, thus generating the output image with the second resolution of the current frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oryoji, Takefumi Nagumo, Hideyuki Ichihashi
  • Publication number: 20100157072
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a section that detects a local motion vector for each block forming an image from a standard image and a reference image; a section that executes motion compensation on the reference image employing the local motion vector to generate a local motion-compensated image; a section that calculates a single global motion vector for the entire standard image and the entire reference image employing the local motion vector and that executes motion compensation on the reference image employing the global motion vector to generate a global motion-compensated image; and a section that calculates respective reliabilities of the local motion-compensated image and the global motion-compensated image in units of image regions and that executes a process to synthesize pixel values of the local motion-compensated image and pixel values of the global motion-compensated image in accordance with the reliabilities to generate a blended motion-compensated image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Jun LUO, Takefumi Nagumo, Yuhi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20100157073
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a motion prediction processor configured to detect a motion vector that indicates inter-image motion between a current image and a reference image; a motion compensation processor configured to perform a motion compensation process for the reference image by using the motion vector and generate a motion compensated image; an addition processor configured to generate a noise reduced image in which noise of the current image is reduced by adding the current image and the motion compensated image; an addition determination unit configured to compute an addition weight in units of pixels of the motion compensated image; a down-sampling processor configured to perform a process for reducing the current image and the motion compensated image; and an up-sampling processor configured to perform a process for expanding an addition coefficient map that is an output of the addition determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Yuhi Kondo, Takefumi Nagumo, Jun Luo