IMAGING APPARATUS, PICKED-UP IMAGE CORRECTING METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

When picking up an image including an object, an imaging apparatus displays the picked-up image on a display unit, and stores the image in a first storage unit. Then, the imaging apparatus performs such control as to extract the contour of an object image in the image stored in the first storage unit, and to display the contour together with the object image on the display unit. A first correction unit then corrects the object image, from which the contour is extracted, into a circular shape, and the corrected object image is stored in a second storage unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These objects and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electric configuration of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating process procedures according to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3A is a display transition diagram of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3B is a display transition diagram of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3C is a display transition diagram of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating process procedures of a process of correcting an ellipse to a perfect circle;

FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of step S202;

FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram of step S203;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of step S205;

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a guide data table in a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating process procedures according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating process procedures according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging unit that picks up an image including an object;a first storage unit that stores the image picked up by the imaging unit;a display unit that displays an image stored by the first storage unit;a detection unit that detects a contour of the object image displayed onto the display unit;a first correction unit that corrects the object image such that the contour detected by the detection unit takes a circular shape; anda second storage unit that stores an object image corrected by the first correction unit.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first display control unit that performs such control as to superimpose a guide for correcting the object image displayed on the display unit and display the superimposed guide on the display unit, wherein the second storage unit stores the corrected object image after a display process is performed by the first display control unit.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a revision-information storage unit that stores in association with each other, a plurality of guides and their corresponding revision information for correcting the object image;a guide selecting unit that selects a specific guide from a plurality of guides stored in the revision-information storage unit; anda reading unit that reads out revision information corresponding to the guide selected by the guide selecting unit from the revision-information storage unit,wherein the display unit also displays the guide selected by the guide selecting unit, and the first correction unit corrects the object image according to the revision information read by the reading unit.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a second display control unit that performs such control as to read out and display on the display unit, the plurality of guides stored in the revision-information storage unit,wherein the guide selecting unit selects the specific guide from a plurality of guides read by the second display control unit.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide includes plural types of elliptical images, the revision information stored in the revision-information storage unit in association with the guide includes magnification information for performing enlargement correction or reduction correction in at least a major-axial direction or a minor-axial direction for correcting the elliptical images to circular shapes, andthe first correction unit corrects the object image according to the magnification information read by the reading unit.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide includes an elliptical image and a coordinate axis image, revision information stored in association with the elliptical image includes magnification information for performing enlargement correction or reduction correction in at least a major-axial direction or a minor-axial direction for correcting the elliptical image to a circular shape, andthe first correction unit comprises: a second correction unit that corrects the object image to a circular shape according to the magnification information associated with the elliptical image when the elliptical image is selected by the guide selecting unit; anda third correction unit that corrects the object image whose major-axial direction or minor-axial direction matches with a coordinate axis of the coordinate axis image selected by the guide selecting unit.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth correction unit that corrects the object image to a normal rectangular shape;a correction control unit that executes correction with the first correction unit when a contour displayed by the display unit takes an elliptical shape, and executes correction with the fourth correction unit when the contour displayed by the display unit takes a distorted rectangular shape; anda first storage control unit that performs such control as to store, in the second storage unit, the object image corrected to the normal rectangular shape by the fourth correction unit.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a selection unit that selects between correction using the fourth correction unit or cancellation; anda second storage control unit that performs such control as to execute correction using the fourth correction unit when execution of correction is selected by the selection unit, and to store the object image included in the picked up image in the second storage unit when cancellation of correction is selected by the selection unit.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a selection unit that selects between execution of correction with the first correction unit or cancellation of correction ; anda third storage control unit that performs such control as to execute correction with the first correction unit when execution of correction is selected by the selection unit, and to store the object image included in the picked up image in the second storage unit when cancellation of correction is selected by the selection unit.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display unit displays at least a correction index or a cancellation index together with the object image whose contour is extracted, and the selection unit selects either correction with the first correction unit or cancellation when detecting an instruction to the displayed index.

11. A method of correcting a picked-up image, comprising: a first storage step of storing the picked-up image in a first storage unit;a display step of displaying the picked-up image stored in the first storage step on a display unit;a detection step of detecting a contour of an object image included in the picked-up image displayed in the display step;a first correction step of correcting the object image such that the contour detected in the detection step takes a circular shape; anda second storage step of storing the object image corrected in the first correction step in a second storage unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a first display control step of performing such control as to superimpose a guide for correcting the object image included in the image displayed to a circular shape on the image and display the superimposed guide, wherein the second storage step includes a step of storing the corrected object image after a display process is performed in the first display control step.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: a guide selecting step of selecting a specific guide from revision-information storage memory that stores in association with each other, a plurality of guides and their corresponding revision information for correcting the object image; anda revision-information reading step of reading out revision information corresponding to the guide selected in the guide selecting step,wherein the display step also displays the guide selected in the guide selecting step, and the first correction step corrects the object image according to the revision information read in the revision-information reading step.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: a second correction step of correcting the object image to a normal rectangular shape;a correction control step of executing correction in the first correction step when a shape of the contour displayed in the display step is an elliptical shape, and executing correction in the second correction step when the shape of the contour displayed in the display step is a distorted rectangular shape; anda third storage step of storing the object image corrected to the normal rectangular shape in the second correction step in the memory.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: a selection step of selecting execution of correction in the first correction unit or cancellation of correction in the first correction step; anda fourth storage step of executing correction in the first correction step when execution of correction is selected in the selection step, and storing the object image included in the picked up image in the second storage unit when cancellation of correction is selected in the selection step.

16. A program product that is stored on a recording medium and allows a computer to execute: a first storage control step of storing a picked-up image in a first storage unit;a display step of displaying the picked-up image stored in the first storage control step on a display unit;a detection step of detecting a contour of an object image included in the picked-up image displayed in the display step;a first correction step of correcting the object image such that the contour detected in the detection step takes a circular shape; anda second storage control step of performing such control as to store the object image corrected in the first correction step in a second storage unit.

17. The program product according to claim 16, allowing the computer to further execute a first display control step of performing such control as to superimpose a guide for correcting the object image included in the image displayed in the display step on the image and displaying the superimposed guide, wherein the second storage control step stores the object image after a display process is performed in the first display control step.

18. The program product according to claim 17, allowing the computer to further execute: a guide selecting step of selecting a specific guide from a revision-information storage unit that stores in association with each other, a plurality of guides and their corresponding revision information for correcting the object image; anda revision-information reading step of reading out revision information corresponding to the guide selected in the guide selecting step from the revision-information storage unit,wherein the display step further displays the guide selected in the guide selecting step, and the first correction step corrects the object image according to the revision information read in the revision-information reading step.

19. The program product according to claim 16, allowing the computer to further execute: a second correction step of correcting the object image to a normal rectangular shape;a correction control step of executing correction in the first correction step when a shape of the contour displayed in the display step is an elliptical shape, and executing correction in the second correction step when the shape of the contour displayed in the display step is a distorted rectangular shape; anda third storage control step of performing such control as to store the object image corrected to the normal rectangular shape in the second correction step in the second storage unit.

20. The program product according to claim 16, allowing the computer to further execute: a selection step of selecting execution of correction in the first correction unit or cancellation of correction in the first correction step; anda fourth storage control step of performing such control as to execute correction in the first correction step when execution of correction is selected in the selection step, and to store the object image included in the picked up image in the second storage unit when cancellation of correction is selected in the selection step.