Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a decision unit that determines a character having a predetermined meaning from a captured image; a determination unit that determines whether the captured image is a person image or the captured image is an image which is different from the person image; a storage unit that stores a first syntax which is a syntax of a sentence used for the person image and a second syntax which is a syntax of a sentence used for the image which is different from the person image; and an output unit that outputs a sentence of the first syntax using the character having a predetermined meaning when the determination unit determines that the captured image is the person image, and outputs a sentence of the second syntax using the character having a predetermined meaning when the determination unit determines that the captured image is the image which is different from the person image.

Abstract: In a distortion correcting method for an image taken by an optical system, the invention makes it possible to increase the calculation accuracy of distortion of an image while reducing the amount of information to be prepared in advance. To this end, approximation information that is obtained when distortion aberration (A) of the optical system is approximated by a function (SA: A(f, d)) of a shooting condition (d, f) that is set in the optical system is prepared in advance, and distortion of an image taken by the optical system is calculated based on the shooting condition that was set when the image was taken and the approximation information prepared in advance. Though being small in information amount, this approximation information makes it possible to calculate distortion aberration under every shooting condition.

Abstract: A focusing measurement device according to the present application includes an image input section that obtains a captured image; a filter section that generates, with respect to the image, blurred images by using each pair of filters having different frequency characteristics; an extracting section that extracts, at each of specific points on the image, a first feature quantity and a second feature quantity both from the image and the respective blurred images; and a focusing measurement section that calculates, from the first feature quantity and the second feature quantity, a focusing amount indicating a degree of in-focus to measure a focusing level at each of the specific points on the image.

Abstract: An image processing method of finding a motion vector between an original image and a reference image, including dividing the original image to extract a block, searching for a similar region of the block from the reference image to detect a motion vector of the block, further dividing the block from which the motion vector has been detected to extract a lower block, and searching for a similar region to detect a motion vector of the lower block with a range in the vicinity of the motion vector found from the block before division as a start point. Thus, the method is characterized by reflecting a tree structure data of the motion vector obtained in this manner in the subsequent detection of motion vector.

Abstract: A first aberration correcting unit respectively correcting, for the first wavelength and the second wavelength, amount of distortion by a correction value for a chromatic aberration of magnification at the image height, and a first position calculating unit estimating, for respective pixels corresponding to the reference wavelength, amount of displacement of an image location due to a distortion by using a basic equation expressing a relation between amount of distortion at the image height and amount of displacement, and estimating, for respective pixels corresponding to the first wavelength and the second wavelength, amount of displacement of an image location due to a distortion including a correction for the chromatic aberration of magnification by replacing the amount of distortion in the basic equation with the amount of corrected distortion.

Abstract: The present application provides an image processing method of obtaining a clear image from a blurred image which includes the steps of converting an array of image data from a two dimension into a one-dimensional vector, the image data storing pixel values of the blurred image; converting all of two-dimensional matrix operations acting on the one-dimensional vector into an image filtering for the image data of the blurred image, and calculating values of statistic parameters necessary for calculation of a cost function estimating the clear image and a gradient vector of the cost function; and obtaining, by using the gradient vector being calculated, image data of the clear image by a numerical optimization method which calculates the image data of the clear image by using only the gradient vector such that a value of the cost function becomes maximum or minimum.

Abstract: The present application provides an image processing method of obtaining a clear image from a blurred image which includes the steps of converting an array of image data from a two dimension into a one-dimensional vector, the image data storing pixel values of the blurred image; converting all of two-dimensional matrix operations acting on the one-dimensional vector into an image filtering for the image data of the blurred image, and calculating values of statistic parameters necessary for calculation of a cost function estimating the clear image and a gradient vector of the cost function; and obtaining, by using the gradient vector being calculated, image data of the clear image by a numerical optimization method which calculates the image data of the clear image by using only the gradient vector such that a value of the cost function becomes maximum or minimum.

Abstract: An image compression device includes a motion vector detecting section, a determination section, an intra-frame compression section, and an inter-frame compression section. The motion vector detecting section obtains a motion vector between sets of image data at a plurality of positions on an image. The determination section determines whether a spatial variation of the motion vector on the image is large or small. The intra-frame compression section selects an image area A, which is determined to have the large spatial variation of the motion vector, from the image data to be compressed, and subjects the selected image area A to intra-frame compression. The inter-frame compression section selects an image area B, which is determined to have the small spatial variation of the motion vector, from the image data to be compressed, and subjects the selected image area B to inter-frame prediction differential compression.

Abstract: In a preparation operation of a distortion correcting method, actual measured lens position information obtained by an optical system at a time of shooting an image, an error range in the lens position information, and a relational expression between a distortion pattern and the lens position information, are respectively obtained. In a correcting operation, actual measured data of the lens position information is fit to the relational expression to estimate the distortion pattern of the image shot by the optical system, and a temporary corrected image is obtained. In a selection operation, a distortion correcting pattern to be applied in main correcting performed on the image is selected based on the temporary corrected image. In a repeating operation, when the distortion correcting pattern is not selected, a value of the actual measured data is adjusted within the error range and the correcting operation is repeated.

Abstract: A proposition is to provide a distortion correcting method, a carrier medium carrying distortion correcting program and an optical apparatus which can perform reliable and good distortion correction while suppressing the quantity of information in distortion correcting information. The distortion correcting method includes a preparing operation which expresses distortion aberration of an optical system for shooting in a function of a lens position thereof, optimizes coefficients of the function so that residual aberrations in two or more lens positions are controlled appropriately respectively, and prepares, in advance, information of optimized coefficients thereof as distortion correcting information of the optical system, and a correcting operation which performs a correction of distortion of an image picked up by the optical system based on the lens position at shooting time and the distortion correcting information prepared.

Abstract: In image processing device, a basic coordinate system corresponding to arrangement directions of the pixel in the two-dimensional image sensor is transformed to a virtual coordinate system corresponding to an arrangement rule of the filters of each of the wavelength components, position calculation processing for image processing containing an aberration correction in the virtual coordinate system corresponding to each of the wavelength components is executed to determine coordinates in the virtual coordinate system, and the coordinates in the virtual coordinate system obtained by the position calculating unit are transformed to coordinates in the basic coordinate system.

Abstract: A focusing measurement device according to the present application includes an image input section that obtains a captured image; a filter section that generates, with respect to the image, blurred images by using each pair of filters having different frequency characteristics; an extracting section that extracts, at each of specific points on the image, a first feature quantity and a second feature quantity both from the image and the respective blurred images; and a focusing measurement section that calculates, from the first feature quantity and the second feature quantity, a focusing amount indicating a degree of in-focus to measure a focusing level at each of the specific points on the image.

Abstract: A proposition is to provide a distortion correcting method, a carrier medium carrying distortion correcting program and an optical apparatus which can perform reliable and good distortion correction while suppressing the quantity of information in distortion correcting information. The distortion correcting method includes a preparing operation which expresses distortion aberration of an optical system for shooting in a function of a lens position thereof, optimizes coefficients of the function so that residual aberrations in two or more lens positions are controlled appropriately respectively, and prepares, in advance, information of optimized coefficients thereof as distortion correcting information of the optical system, and a correcting operation which performs a correction of distortion of an image picked up by the optical system based on the lens position at shooting time and the distortion correcting information prepared.

Abstract: The present application provides an image processing method of obtaining a clear image from a blurred image which includes the steps of converting an array of image data from a two dimension into a one-dimensional vector, the image data storing pixel values of the blurred image; converting all of two-dimensional matrix operations acting on the one-dimensional vector into an image filtering for the image data of the blurred image, and calculating values of statistic parameters necessary for calculation of a cost function estimating the clear image and a gradient vector of the cost function; and obtaining, by using the gradient vector being calculated, image data of the clear image by a numerical optimization method which calculates the image data of the clear image by using only the gradient vector such that a value of the cost function becomes maximum or minimum.

Abstract: An image compression device includes a motion vector detecting section, a determination section, an intra-frame compression section, and an inter-frame compression section. The motion vector detecting section obtains a motion vector between sets of image data at a plurality of positions on an image. The determination section determines whether a spatial variation of the motion vector on the image is large or small. The intra-frame compression section selects an image area A, which is determined to have the large spatial variation of the motion vector, from the image data to be compressed, and subjects the selected image area A to intra-frame compression. The inter-frame compression section selects an image area B, which is determined to have the small spatial variation of the motion vector, from the image data to be compressed, and subjects the selected image area B to inter-frame prediction differential compression.

Abstract: A first aberration correcting unit respectively correcting, for the first wavelength and the second wavelength, amount of distortion by a correction value for a chromatic aberration of magnification at the image height, and a first position calculating unit estimating, for respective pixels corresponding to the reference wavelength, amount of displacement of an image location due to a distortion by using a basic equation expressing a relation between amount of distortion at the image height and amount of displacement, and estimating, for respective pixels corresponding to the first wavelength and the second wavelength, amount of displacement of an image location due to a distortion including a correction for the chromatic aberration of magnification by replacing the amount of distortion in the basic equation with the amount of corrected distortion.

Abstract: In image processing device, a basic coordinate system corresponding to arrangement directions of the pixel in the two-dimensional image sensor is transformed to a virtual coordinate system corresponding to an arrangement rule of the filters of each of the wavelength components, position calculation processing for image processing containing an aberration correction in the virtual coordinate system corresponding to each of the wavelength components is executed to determine coordinates in the virtual coordinate system, and the coordinates in the virtual coordinate system obtained by the position calculating unit are transformed to coordinates in the basic coordinate system.

Abstract: An image processing method of finding a motion vector between an original image and a reference image, including dividing the original image to extract a block, searching for a similar region of the block from the reference image to detect a motion vector of the block, further dividing the block from which the motion vector has been detected to extract a lower block, and searching for a similar region to detect a motion vector of the lower block with a range in the vicinity of the motion vector found from the block before division as a start point. Thus, the method is characterized by reflecting a tree structure data of the motion vector obtained in this manner in the subsequent detection of motion vector.

Abstract: In a preparation operation of a distortion correcting method, actual measured lens position information obtained by an optical system at a time of shooting an image, an error range in the lens position information, and a relational expression between a distortion pattern and the lens position information, are respectively obtained. In a correcting operation, actual measured data of the lens position information is fit to the relational expression to estimate the distortion pattern of the image shot by the optical system, and a temporary corrected image is obtained. In a selection operation, a distortion correcting pattern to be applied in main correcting performed on the image is selected based on the temporary corrected image. In a repeating operation, when the distortion correcting pattern is not selected, a value of the actual measured data is adjusted within the error range and the correcting operation is repeated.

Abstract: In a distortion correcting method for an image taken by an optical system, the invention makes it possible to increase the calculation accuracy of distortion of an image while reducing the amount of information to be prepared in advance. To this end, approximation information that is obtained when distortion aberration (A) of the optical system is approximated by a function (SA: A(f, d)) of a shooting condition (d, f) that is set in the optical system is prepared in advance, and distortion of an image taken by the optical system is calculated based on the shooting condition that was set when the image was taken and the approximation information prepared in advance. Though being small in information amount, this approximation information makes it possible to calculate distortion aberration under every shooting condition.