JP2017229075A - Image processing apparatus and control method therefor, and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device which allows for image reproduction of a correct subject shape, in both two-dimensional display and stereoscopic display, by using composite image data and a parallax map.SOLUTION: An imaging element 505 includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion parts arranged in a pixel having a micro-lens. An image compositing circuit 513 acquires data of an image for a left eye and data of an image for a right eye from a plurality of image signals outputted from the imaging element 505, and generates composite image data for two-dimensional display by adding and synthesizing both data. A parallax map creation circuit 514 creates parallax map data from the data of the image for a left eye and the data of the image for a right eye. A system control unit 509 controls image reproduction by analyzing an image file. When the image file includes the composite image data and the parallax map, image reproduction control is performed in two-dimensional display by using the composite image data, and image reproduction control is performed in stereoscopic display, by creating the data of the image for a left eye and the data of the image for a right eye from the composite image data and the parallax map.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to a reproduction process using image data for stereoscopic display (hereinafter also referred to as 3D display) and two-dimensional display (hereinafter also referred to as 2D display).

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) cinema, 3D display, and other 3D video related devices are rapidly spreading. Although stereoscopic video shooting has been conventionally performed with a film camera or the like, with the widespread use of digital imaging devices, original images for generating stereoscopic video with a digital camera, a digital video camera, and the like have been captured. ing.
As a mechanism for a user to view a stereoscopic video, right eye image data and left eye image data with parallax in the left-right direction so as to correspond to an image of an object viewed with the left eye and an image viewed with the right eye are provided. Prepared. A user can view each image stereoscopically by looking at the right eye and the left eye. As such a method, there is a method of dividing an image to be viewed, such as a parallax barrier method or a lenticular method, into a parallax. There is also known a method for presenting different images to the left and right eyes of the user through filters having different characteristics on the left and right.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method of simultaneously capturing images from different viewpoints as a method of capturing an image that can be viewed as a stereoscopic video.
Patent Document 1 discloses a solid-state imaging device in which a plurality of microlenses are formed, and one or more pairs of photodiodes are arranged in proximity to each of the microlenses. A first image signal is obtained from the output of one of the photodiode pairs, and a second image signal is obtained from the output of the other photodiode. By using the first and second image signals as the left-eye image and the right-eye image, respectively, the user can view a stereoscopic video.
Patent Document 2 discloses an output parallax map having an output element having an output value corresponding to a shift to be applied to each pixel of the first image. A second image can be generated based on the output parallax map and the first image. This calculation is based on an input parallax map with each input element having an input value, and a second image can be generated using the input image and the parallax map to render a multi-view image.

JP-A-58-24105 Special table 2008-518317

In order to view an image as a three-dimensional video, as described above, it is necessary to view an image with parallax in the left-right direction with the corresponding user's eyes. Therefore, in either method, a left-eye image for viewing with the left eye and a right-eye image for viewing with the right eye are necessary.
As disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a plurality of microlenses are formed, and photographing is performed using a solid-state imaging device in which one or more pairs of photodiodes are arranged in proximity to each of the microlenses. There are the following problems. One of the paired photodiodes outputs a left-eye image signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the light beam that has passed through the region where the exit pupil of the imaging optical system is located, and the other photo-electrical light beam that has passed through a region different from the region of the exit pupil. Assume that the converted right-eye image signal is output. In this case, depending on the subject, both the left-eye image and the right-eye image may not be images reflecting the shape of the subject.
For example, in a shooting scene in which light from a point light source is shot in a blurred manner, a photograph of a light source that is blurred in a circular shape should be originally taken. However, when the image is captured by the solid-state imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the captured image has a shape such as a semicircle or an ellipse that does not reflect the shape of the subject. For example, the subject in the left-eye image is missing the left half, and the subject in the right-eye image is missing the right half. Taken. This is because, among the light fluxes emitted from the exit pupil of the imaging optical system, the regions of the light received by the photodiodes differ from the optical axis.
In such a case, even if an attempt is made to obtain the second image by calculation using the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, an image of the correct subject shape cannot be obtained. That is, since the base image is photographed in a shape different from the actual subject, the second image obtained by calculation cannot be reproduced as an image of the correct subject shape.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of reproducing an image of a correct subject shape in two-dimensional display or stereoscopic display using composite image data and a parallax map.

  In order to solve the above problems, an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention combines an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of image signals with different viewpoints and an image signal with different viewpoints acquired by the acquisition unit. Image generating means for generating a signal, map generating means for generating map data corresponding to a distribution of image positional deviation amounts between the image signals based on the image signals of the different viewpoints, the composite image signal and the map Output means for associating and outputting data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reproduce an image of a correct subject shape in two-dimensional display or stereoscopic display using the composite image data and the parallax map.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an image sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the pixel of an image pick-up element. It is the conceptual diagram showing a mode that the light beam which came out from the exit pupil of the imaging lens entered into an image sensor. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the imaging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the production | generation process example of a parallax map. It is a figure which shows a parallax map typically. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of a general DCF image file. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the image file containing the data of the image for left eyes, and the image for right eyes. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the image file containing a parallax map. It is a flowchart explaining the example of a reproduction process of an image file. It is a flowchart explaining the example of an image reproduction process in 2D display. It is a flowchart explaining the example of an image reproduction process in a stereoscopic display. It is a flowchart explaining the example of 3D reproduction | regeneration processing using the data of the image for left eyes, and the image for right eyes. It is a flowchart explaining the example of 3D reproduction | regeneration processing using a parallax map.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of an imaging element applied to an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image sensor 100 includes a pixel array 101, a vertical selection circuit 102 that selects a row in the pixel array 101, and a horizontal selection circuit 104 that selects a column in the pixel array 101. The readout circuit 103 reads out the signal of the pixel selected by the vertical selection circuit 102 among the pixels in the pixel array 101. The reading circuit 103 includes a memory for accumulating signals, a gain amplifier, an AD converter, and the like for each column.
The serial interface (SI) unit 105 determines an operation mode of each circuit according to an instruction from an external circuit. The vertical selection circuit 102 sequentially selects a plurality of rows in the pixel array 101 and extracts pixel signals to the readout circuit 103. The horizontal selection circuit 104 sequentially selects a plurality of pixel signals read by the reading circuit 103 for each column. In addition to the components shown in FIG. 1, the image sensor 100 includes, for example, a timing generator that provides a timing signal to the vertical selection circuit 102, the horizontal selection circuit 104, the readout circuit 103, a control circuit, and the like. These detailed explanations are omitted.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of pixels of the image sensor 100. FIG. 2A schematically shows the configuration of one pixel. FIG. 2B shows the arrangement of the pixel array 101. A pixel 201 illustrated in FIG. 2A includes a microlens 202 as an optical element and a plurality of photodiodes (hereinafter abbreviated as PD) as light receiving elements.
FIG. 2A illustrates an example in which two pixels, the left PD 203 and the right PD 204, are provided in one pixel, but three or more (for example, four or nine) PDs may be used. The PD 203 photoelectrically converts the received light beam and outputs a left-eye image signal. The PD 204 photoelectrically converts the received light beam and outputs a right-eye image signal. The pixel 201 includes, for example, a pixel amplification amplifier that extracts a PD signal to the readout circuit 103, a row selection switch, a PD signal reset switch, and the like in addition to the illustrated components.
In order to provide a two-dimensional image, the pixel array 101 is configured by arranging in a two-dimensional array like a plurality of pixels 301 to 304 shown in FIG. The PDs 301L, 302L, 303L, and 304L correspond to the PD 203 in FIG. PDs 301R, 302R, 303R, and 304R correspond to the PD 204 in FIG. That is, the image sensor used in the present embodiment includes a first photoelectric conversion unit (PD 203) that outputs a left-eye image signal and a second photoelectric conversion unit (PD 204) that outputs a right-eye image signal. A plurality of pixels.

Next, light reception of the imaging element 100 having the pixel configuration illustrated in FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a state where a light beam emitted from the exit pupil of the photographing lens is incident on the image sensor 100.
The pixel array 101 includes a microlens 202, a color filter 403, and PDs 404 and 405. PD 404 and PD 405 correspond to PD 203 and PD 204 in FIG.
In FIG. 3, the center of the light beam emitted from the exit pupil 406 of the photographing lens with respect to the microlens 202 is an optical axis 409. The light emitted from the exit pupil 406 enters the image sensor 100 with the optical axis 409 as the center. Partial areas 407 and 408 are areas of the exit pupil 406 of the photographing lens. Light rays 410 and 411 are the outermost light rays of the light passing through the partial region 407. Light rays 412 and 413 are the outermost light rays of the light passing through the partial region 408.
Among the light beams emitted from the exit pupil 406, with the optical axis 409 as a boundary line, the upper light beam in FIG. 3 is incident on the PD 405, and the lower light beam is incident on the PD 404. That is, PD 404 and PD 405 each receive light beams from different regions of the exit pupil of the imaging optical system. In this way, each light receiving element detects light in a different region at the exit pupil, and therefore, in a situation where light is taken from a point light source, photographed images having different shapes can be obtained. .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. An example in which the image sensor 100 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a digital camera will be described with reference to FIG.
The lens unit 501 constituting the imaging optical system forms an image of light from the subject on the imaging element 505. The imaging element 505 corresponds to the imaging element 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and has a pixel configuration illustrated in FIG. The lens driving device 502 performs zoom control, focus control, aperture control, and the like. The mechanical shutter 503 is controlled by a shutter driving device 504. The image sensor 505 converts the subject image formed by the lens unit 501 into an image signal. The imaging signal processing circuit 506 performs various processing (pixel interpolation processing, color conversion processing, etc.) and correction on the image signal output from the imaging element 505. The timing generator 507 outputs a timing signal necessary for the image sensor 505 and the image signal processing circuit 506.
A system control unit 509 is a control unit that performs various calculations and controls the entire imaging apparatus, and performs various processes by interpreting and executing a program by a CPU (central processing unit) (not shown). Note that the system control unit 509 can perform AF (autofocus) control by comparing each data of the left-eye image and the right-eye image and detecting a phase difference.
The memory unit 508 includes a memory that temporarily stores image data. A recording medium control interface unit (hereinafter abbreviated as I / F unit) 510 that performs recording control is provided for recording or reading image data, parallax map data described later, and the like on the recording medium 511. The recording medium 511 that can be attached to and detached from the imaging apparatus is a semiconductor memory or the like. The external I / F unit 512 transmits and receives data to and from an external device such as a computer device, and the user can perform image processing. Further, the user can operate the digital camera using an operation unit (not shown) connected to the external I / F unit 512.

The image composition circuit 513 performs an addition averaging process on the image data output from the image sensor 505 for each pixel and performs a process of acquiring only a necessary PD signal. Taking FIG. 2 as an example, for the pixel signals 301L, 301R, 302L, 302R, 303L, 303R, 304L, and 304R output from each PD, only the output of the left PD is extracted (301L, 302L, and 303L). 304L). Further, it is assumed that only the output of the right PD is taken out (301R, 302R, 303R, 304R). Composite image data is created from ((301L + 301R) / 2, (302L + 302R) / 2, (303L + 303R) / 2, (304L + 304R) / 2) obtained by averaging the outputs of the left PD and right PD. Note that only addition processing may be performed in addition synthesis processing, and division processing or dynamic range adjustment may be performed in post-processing.
The parallax map generation circuit 514 calculates the amount of positional deviation between the left-eye image / right-eye image based on the position of the subject image in the composite image as the parallax amount. Information on the calculated amount of parallax is stored in the memory unit 508 as a parallax map. The compression / decompression circuit 515 compresses the image data stored in the memory unit 508 according to a predetermined image compression method (for example, adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT)). The compression / decompression circuit 515 has a function of writing image data that has been compressed into the memory unit 508, and a function of expanding image data read from the memory unit 508 and writing it into the memory unit 508.
The display unit 516 displays various information and captured images in accordance with display data from the display control circuit 517. A display control circuit 517 performs display control for displaying image data for two-dimensional display and display control for displaying image data in stereoscopic display.

Next, the operation of the digital camera at the time of shooting will be described.
When the main power supply of the image pickup apparatus is turned on, the power supply of the control system circuit unit is turned on, and the power supply of the image pickup processing system circuit such as the image pickup signal processing circuit 506 is turned on. When the user operates a release button (not shown), the system control unit 509 performs a calculation related to focus state detection based on data from the image sensor 505, and calculates a distance from the imaging device to the subject. Thereafter, the lens driving device 502 drives the movable lens of the lens unit 501, and the system control unit 509 determines whether or not it is in focus.
If the system control unit 509 determines that it is not in focus, the system control unit 509 executes focus state detection processing again by driving control of the lens unit 501. The calculation for obtaining the distance to the subject may be a method using a dedicated distance measuring device (not shown) other than the method of calculating from the data by the image sensor 505. The system control unit 509 starts the photographing operation after determining the focused state. When the photographing operation is completed, the imaging signal processing circuit 506 processes the image signal output from the imaging element 505, and the system control unit 509 performs control to write image data in the memory unit 508.
The imaging data output by the imaging element 505 is output as image signals from a plurality of PDs. In the example shown in FIG. 2B, image signals are output in the order of PDs 301L, 301R, 302L, 302R, 303L, 303R, 304L, and 304R. The imaging signal processing circuit 506 performs image processing by sorting imaging data output from the imaging element 505 into left-eye image data and right-eye image data. The left-eye image data is image data obtained as a result of selecting and processing only the outputs of the left PD 301L, 302L, 303L, 304L, etc. in FIG. The right-eye image data is image data obtained as a result of selecting and processing only the outputs of the right PD 301R, 302R, 303R, 304R, etc. in FIG. The left-eye image data and the right-eye image data are held in the memory unit 508 separately.
The image composition circuit 513 reads the left eye image data and the right eye image data held in the memory unit 508 and generates composite image data. The generated composite image data is stored in the memory unit 508. The image processing executed by the image composition circuit 513 is a process of calculating an addition average value for each pixel for the left-eye image and the right-eye image. Therefore, the composite image generated by this image processing is an image reflecting the shape of the subject. That is, even when the imaging element 505 captures the subject image in the left-eye image and the right-eye image differently, the shape of the subject image is interpolated by the image processing of the image composition circuit 513, so that the correct shape is obtained. Image data is generated. For example, even when the shape of the subject is circular and the left-eye image and the right-eye image are not circular, the composite image has the same circular shape as the subject.

Next, the parallax map generation circuit 514 generates a parallax map and stores the parallax map data in the memory unit 508. The parallax map generation circuit 514 generates a parallax map using the amount of positional deviation between the left-eye image / right-eye image based on the position of the composite image as a parallax amount.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a disparity map generation process. Reference numeral 601 in FIG. 5A indicates a composition obtained by photographing a subject. Reference numerals 602, 603, and 604 denote subjects. In the composition shown in FIG. 5A, the subjects 602, 603, and 604 are arranged in this order from the top. In addition, the subject is arranged side by side in the depth direction as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 604 indicates a subject closest to the camera, and reference numeral 602 indicates a subject farthest from the camera.
FIG. 5B shows a stereo image obtained by photographing the composition shown in FIG. An image 605 shows a left-eye image, and an image 606 shows a right-eye image. In the left-eye image 605, subjects 602, 603, and 604 are shown as 607L, 608L, and 609L, respectively. In the right-eye image 606, subjects 602, 603, and 604 are shown as 607R, 608R, and 609R, respectively.
There is a positional deviation between the subject image in the left-eye image 605 and the subject image in the right-eye image 606. In this embodiment, the amount of positional deviation between the two is defined as the amount of parallax. Reference numeral 610 indicates a positional shift amount in the right-eye image 606 based on the position of the subject 602 in the left-eye image 605, that is, a parallax amount between 607L and 607R. Similarly, reference numeral 611 indicates a positional shift amount in the right-eye image 606 with reference to the position of the subject 604 in the left-eye image 605, that is, a parallax amount between 609L and 609R. For the subject 603, the position in the left-eye image 605 and the position in the right-eye image 606 are the same. That is, for the subject 603, the parallax amount is zero.

First, the parallax map generation circuit 514 detects subjects included in the left-eye image 605 and the right-eye image 606 using a known pattern matching method. The parallax map generation circuit 514 executes the following processing for each detected subject.
The parallax map generation circuit 514 calculates a positional deviation amount from the midpoint between the centroids of the subject images in the left-eye image 605 and the right-eye image 606 to the centroid of the subject image in the left-eye image 605 as a parallax amount. In other words, the parallax map generation circuit 514 uses the position of the center of gravity of the subject image in the composite image generated based on the left-eye image 605 and the right-eye image 606 as a reference, and the position of the center of gravity of the subject in the left-eye image. Is calculated as the amount of parallax. The calculated amount of parallax is the amount of parallax corresponding to the image for the left eye. Of course, the parallax map generation circuit 514 calculates the positional deviation amount of the position of the center of gravity of the subject image in the right-eye image as the amount of parallax corresponding to the image for the right eye based on the position of the center of gravity of the subject image in the composite image. May be.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 5B, for the subject 602, the parallax map generation circuit 514 calculates a parallax amount 612 that is half of the parallax amount 610. For the subject 604, the parallax map generation circuit 514 calculates a parallax amount 613 that is half the parallax amount 611. The parallax map generation circuit 514 stores information regarding the calculated parallax amounts 612 and 613 and position information of an image serving as a reference for the parallax amount in the memory unit 508 as a parallax map. In this example, the position information of the image serving as a reference for the amount of parallax indicates the center of gravity of the subject image in the composite image. As described above, in the example illustrated in FIG. 5B, the parallax amount is zero for the subject 603.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a parallax map. The parallax map 621 includes a parallax amount 622 and information 623 on the position (center of gravity) of the image serving as a reference for the parallax amount.

Next, an image reproduction process using a parallax map will be described.
The system control unit 509 reads the composite image data and the parallax map data from the memory unit 508. The system control unit 509 confirms that the position of the image serving as the reference of the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map data is the center of gravity of the subject image in the composite image. Then, the system control unit 509 shifts the subject image in the composite image by the amount of parallax indicated by the parallax map data, thereby generating the left-eye image to be reproduced, that is, the reproduction data of the image corresponding to the parallax amount. .
Also, the system control unit 509 inverts the sign of the amount of parallax indicated by the parallax map data. The system control unit 509 uses the parallax amount obtained by inverting the sign of the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map as a positional deviation amount of the position of the center of gravity of the subject in the right-eye image based on the center of gravity of the subject image in the composite image. And Then, the system control unit 509 shifts the subject image in the composite image by the amount of parallax obtained by inverting the sign of the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map data. As a result, the right-eye image to be reproduced, that is, reproduction data for an image other than the image corresponding to the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map data is generated.
Note that the pixel at the position where the subject image is arranged becomes a missing pixel due to the shift of the subject image in the composite image. The system control unit 509 assigns color space information to the missing pixels using, for example, a technique described in Reference Document 1 below. That is, the system control unit 509 calculates the average value of the pixel values of the pixels near the missing pixel as color space information, and gives the calculated color space information to the missing pixel.
Reference Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3524147 As described above, the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment combines a left-eye image and a right-eye image to generate a composite image that reflects the shape of a subject, and uses the composite image. The information regarding the amount of parallax with reference to the position of is generated as parallax map data. The memory unit 508 stores left-eye image data and right-eye image data, combined image data generated by the image combining circuit 513, and disparity map data generated by the disparity map generating circuit 514.
Based on the composite image data and the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map data, the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data to be reproduced are generated. Therefore, even when the shape of the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye obtained by photoelectric conversion of the light beam that has passed through different areas of the exit pupil of the photographing optical system is different from the subject shape, the shape of the subject is changed during image reproduction. The reflected correct image can be played back.

FIG. 7 illustrates the structure of a general DCF image file. The DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) is an image file format for handling image data with a common specification in a digital camera. The DCF image file 700 can be output by the most digital cameras at present, and includes a DCF header portion 701, a thumbnail image portion 702, and a JPEG image portion 703. JPEG is an abbreviation for “Joint Photographic Experts Group”.
The DCF header portion 701 is an area for storing DCF header information, and is given a predetermined data size in advance. The DCF header information includes the following data (indicated by a sign in parentheses).
Metadata A (704): shooting information and parameters related to image data stored in the JPEG image portion 703.
Offset value B (705): Offset data up to the top position of the thumbnail image portion 702.
Offset value C (706): Offset data up to the top position of the JPEG image portion 703.
The offset values B and C are relative position information from the reference position of the DCF header part 701 to each image part, and the start position of each image data in the image file is specified by these offset values.
The thumbnail image portion 702 is an area for storing thumbnail image data resized by thinning out the JPEG image data stored in the JPEG image portion 703. The thumbnail image data is used, for example, when displaying a plurality of reduced images (index display) on the screen of the display unit 516.
The JPEG image portion 703 is an area for storing JPEG image data obtained by compression by the compression / decompression circuit 515 after image processing by the imaging signal processing circuit 506. This image data is data that can be handled by many general applications.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the structure of an image file when a DCF image file including left-eye image data and right-eye image data is created in the present embodiment. The image file 800 includes a DCF image data part 801 and left and right eye image data part 802.
The DCF image data unit 801 includes a DCF header unit 803, a composite thumbnail image unit 804, and a composite JPEG image unit 805. The DCF header portion 803 is an area for storing DCF header information, and is given a predetermined data size in advance. The DCF header information includes the following supplementary information and offset information for specifying an area for storing each image data (indicated by a sign in parentheses).
Metadata A (810): Shooting information and parameters related to image data stored in the composite JPEG image unit 805.
Offset value B (811): Offset data up to the top position of the combined thumbnail image portion 804.
Offset value C (812): Offset data up to the top position of the composite JPEG image portion 805.
Offset value D (813): Offset data up to the top position of the left-eye thumbnail image portion 806.
Offset value E (814): Offset data up to the start position of the thumbnail image portion 807 for the right eye.
Offset value F (815): Offset data up to the top position of the left-eye JPEG image portion 808.
Offset value G (816): Offset data up to the top position of the right-eye JPEG image portion 809.
The start position of each image data in the image file is specified by the offset values B to G.
The composite thumbnail image unit 804 thins out the composite thumbnail image obtained by thinning out the composite JPEG image data stored in the composite JPEG image unit 805 and the like for use when displaying an index on the screen of the display unit 516. This is the storage area. The composite JPEG image portion 805 is an area for storing composite JPEG image data obtained by processing the image data from the image sensor 505 by the image pickup signal processing circuit 506 and then compressing it by the compression / decompression circuit 515. This image data is data that can be handled by many general applications. In this embodiment, JPEG image data obtained by adding and synthesizing the data of the right-eye image and the left-eye image by the image synthesis circuit 513 is stored in the synthesized JPEG image unit 805. By adding and synthesizing the left-eye image and the right-eye image, image data capable of reproducing a correct subject shape as a 2D display image can be obtained. Note that the addition synthesis includes addition averaging processing.
The left and right eye image data portion 802 includes a left eye thumbnail image portion 806, a right eye thumbnail image portion 807, a left eye JPEG image portion 808, and a right eye JPEG image portion 809. The image data respectively stored in the left-eye thumbnail image portion 806 and the right-eye thumbnail image portion 807 is used when the thumbnail image is displayed as a stereoscopic display by the index display by the display unit 516. The image data stored in the left-eye JPEG image unit 808 and the right-eye JPEG image unit 809 are used when the display unit 516 displays them as a stereoscopic display. Note that the left-eye image data portion 802 including these image portions 806 to 809 is arranged behind the image file 800, so that the processing when the left-eye JPEG image portion 808 and the right-eye JPEG image portion 809 are not used is performed. Convenience.

FIG. 9 illustrates the structure of an image file when a DCF image file including parallax map data is created in the present embodiment. The image file 900 includes a DCF image data part 901 and a parallax map part 902.
The DCF image data part 901 includes a DCF header part 903, a composite thumbnail image part 904, and a composite JPEG image part 905.
The DCF header portion 903 is an area for storing DCF header information, and is given a predetermined data size in advance. The DCF header information includes the following data (indicated by a sign in parentheses).
Metadata A (908): Shooting information and parameters related to image data stored in the composite JPEG image unit 905.
Offset value B (909): Offset data up to the top position of the combined thumbnail image portion 904.
Offset value C (910): Offset data up to the top position of the composite JPEG image portion 905.
Offset value D (911): Offset data up to the top position of the combined thumbnail image parallax map unit 906.
Offset value E (912): Offset data to the top position of the combined JPEG image parallax map unit 907.
The start position of each image data in the image file is specified by the offset values B to E.
The parallax map unit 902 includes a synthetic thumbnail image parallax map unit 906 and a synthetic JPEG image parallax map unit 907. The composite thumbnail image portion 904 is an area for storing thumbnail image data that has been resized by thinning out JPEG image data stored in the composite JPEG image portion 905 and the like for use when displaying an index on the display portion 516. is there. The composite JPEG image portion 905 is an area for storing composite JPEG image data obtained by processing the image data from the image sensor 505 by the image pickup signal processing circuit 506 and then compressing it by the compression / decompression circuit 515. This image data is data that can be handled by many general applications. In this embodiment, JPEG image data obtained by adding and synthesizing the data of the right-eye image and the left-eye image by the image synthesis circuit 513 is stored in the synthesized JPEG image unit 905. By combining the image data for the left eye and the right eye, an image capable of reproducing the correct subject shape for 2D display can be obtained. Furthermore, using the parallax map, the image data for the left eye and the right eye can be restored, and can be reproduced as a stereoscopic display image. The composite thumbnail image parallax map unit 906 is an area for storing parallax map data generated in accordance with the size of the composite thumbnail image. The combined JPEG image parallax map unit 907 is an area for storing map data indicating the amount of parallax of the combined JPEG image. In addition, by disposing the parallax map for composite thumbnail image together with the parallax map for composite JPEG image as the parallax map unit 902 at the back of the image file 900, image reproduction when the parallax map is not used, deletion of the parallax map, etc. Convenience when editing is improved.

Next, the DCF image file reproduction process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed under the control of the system control unit 509.
S1001 is a process for determining whether or not an image reproduction button (not shown) provided in the operation unit of the external I / F unit 512 has been operated. If it is determined that the user has not operated the image playback button, the determination process of S1001 is repeated. If it is determined that the user has operated the image playback button, the process proceeds to S1002. In step S <b> 1002, processing for reading image file data from the recording medium 511 to the memory unit 508 via the recording medium control I / F unit 510 is executed. In the next step S1003, the image file read into the memory unit 508 in step S1002 is analyzed. In the image file analysis process, each image data can be accessed by analyzing the structure of the DCF image file. Next, in S1004, based on the analysis result in S1003, it is determined whether or not the image file is an image file corresponding to stereoscopic display. The image file determination process corresponding to the stereoscopic display is determination of whether or not the image file can prepare the left-eye image and the right-eye image. In the present embodiment, the image file corresponds to the stereoscopic display in the case of the image file having the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data described in FIG. 8 or the image file having the parallax map described in FIG. It is determined. If the determination result regarding the image file is YES, the process proceeds to S1005, and if NO, the process proceeds to S1006.

In step S1005, a determination is made as to whether or not stereoscopic image playback settings have been made. By user operation, it is possible to arbitrarily specify whether to perform image reproduction in 2D display or image reproduction in stereoscopic display. Even in the case of an image file corresponding to stereoscopic display, the user can select to reproduce an image in 2D display. The user can set a desired reproduction by a menu selection operation on the screen of the display unit 516 using the operation unit, and the setting information is stored in the memory unit 508. If it is determined in step S1005 that the stereoscopic image playback setting is not set, the process advances to step S1006 to perform 2D display image playback processing, that is, playback of an image in 2D display (hereinafter referred to as a 2D image). This process will be described later with reference to FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1005 that the setting is to reproduce a stereoscopic image, the process proceeds to S1007 to perform stereoscopic image reproduction processing, that is, image reproduction in 3D display. This process will be described later with reference to FIG.
As described above, in the image file reproduction processing in the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment, image reproduction can be performed in 3D display or 2D display by using an image file corresponding to a stereoscopic image.

Next, the 2D display image reproduction process shown in S1006 of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
In S1101, processing for acquiring 2D image data from an image file is performed. In the 2D image data acquisition process, synthesized JPEG image data is acquired as data to be reproduced as a 2D image from the analyzed image file. If the file has image data captured by a device other than the image capturing apparatus of the present embodiment and there is no composite JPEG image data, reproduction compatibility is improved by performing processing for acquiring other image data as a 2D image. Next, in the 2D image display data creation process in S1102, display data is created from the 2D image data acquired in S1101. In this processing, the display control circuit 517 processes the data expanded by the compression / decompression circuit 515, thereby generating data for displaying a 2D image on the display unit 516. In step S1103, the display unit 516 performs 2D display according to the display data generated in step S1102 under the control of the display control circuit 517. In this 2D image display process, display data is processed without distinguishing between a left-eye image and a right-eye image as in a stereoscopic image display process described later. In this way, 2D images can be reproduced based on the image file.

Next, the stereoscopic image reproduction process shown in S1007 of FIG. 10 will be described using FIG.
S1201 is a process for determining whether or not there is a parallax map in the image file. The presence or absence of a parallax map can be determined from the analysis result in S1003. If it is determined that there is no parallax map in the image file, the process proceeds to S1202, and the left and right image 3D reproduction process is executed. The left and right image 3D reproduction processing will be described later with reference to FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a parallax map in the image file, the process proceeds to S1203, and the parallax map 3D reproduction process is executed. The parallax map 3D reproduction process will be described later with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, 3D playback using left and right images and 3D playback using a parallax map are possible as 3D playback processing.
Next, the left and right image 3D reproduction processing shown in S1202 of FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the left-eye image data acquisition process of S1301, a process for acquiring left-eye JPEG image data from the image file data developed in the memory unit 508 is performed. Next, in the display data creation process of S1302, display data for the left eye image is created from the JPEG image data for the left eye acquired in S1301. In the left eye image display data creation processing, the display control circuit 517 creates data for displaying an image on the display unit 516 based on the data decompressed by the compression / decompression circuit 515. Next, in the right eye image data acquisition process of S1303, a process of acquiring right eye JPEG image data from the image file data developed in the memory unit 508 is performed. Next, in the display data creation processing of S1304, display data for the right eye image is created from the JPEG image data for the right eye acquired in S1303. In the right eye image display data creation processing, the display control circuit 517 creates data for displaying an image on the display unit 516 based on the data decompressed by the compression / decompression circuit 515. In the next S1305, the display unit 516 performs 3D image display processing according to the display data for the left-eye image created in S1302 and the display data for the right-eye image created in S1304. In this process, image display is performed by a known technique so that light of different images is incident on the left eye and the right eye of the user, but a detailed description thereof is omitted. In this way, 3D image reproduction can be performed based on the image file having the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data.

Next, the parallax map 3D reproduction process shown in S1203 of FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the disparity map acquisition process of S1401, the data of the composite JPEG image disparity map is acquired from the image file data developed in the memory unit 508. Next, in the reference image data acquisition process of S1402, the reference image data is acquired from the data of the image file developed in the memory unit 508. The reference image referred to here is image data corresponding to the parallax map acquired in S1401, and in this embodiment, is assumed to be combined JPEG image data. Next, in the left-eye image data creation process in S1403, left-eye image data is created from the parallax map acquired in S1401 and the reference image data acquired in S1402. The parallax map includes data on the amount of parallax from the center of gravity of the subject image of the composite image to the corresponding center of gravity in the left-eye image. By using this data, the image of the left eye is generated by moving the subject image to the center of gravity of the image for the left eye corresponding to the amount of parallax. Next, in the right-eye image data creation process in S1404, right-eye image data is created from the parallax map acquired in S1401 and the reference image data acquired in S1402. This process is performed in the same way as the left-eye image data creation process. In this case, by inverting the sign of the parallax amount indicated by the parallax map data, the centroid corresponding to the right-eye image from the centroid of the subject image of the composite image Can be obtained. The right-eye image data can be generated by moving the subject image to the center of gravity of the right-eye image corresponding to the parallax amount. In the next S1405, the left-right image 3D reproduction process described with reference to FIG. 13 is executed using the left-eye image data created in S1403 and the right-eye image data created in S1404. At that time, color space information is given to the above-described missing pixel. In this way, left-eye image data and right-eye image data are generated from the image file having the parallax map data, and 3D playback is possible based on these image data.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, 2D image playback and 3D image playback can be performed from a DCF image file. That is, the composite image data is generated from a plurality of image data obtained from the image sensor 505, and the correct subject can be obtained by 2D display using the composite image data or 3D display using the composite image data and the parallax map data. Shape image reproduction can be realized. Therefore, the user can appreciate the reproduced image without feeling uncomfortable.
By applying the series of processes described in this embodiment to thumbnail images, an imaging apparatus capable of reproducing a plurality of reduced images in 2D display or 3D display when performing index display on the display unit 516 is provided. it can. In this case, the image composition circuit 513 generates image data for displaying a reduced image from the composite image data. The parallax map generation circuit 514 generates parallax map data for reduced image display using the data for the left-eye image and the right-eye image. When the image file includes composite image data for displaying a reduced image and parallax map data, the system control unit 509 generates each data of the reduced image for the left eye and the reduced image for the right eye from these data, and performs stereoscopic display. Perform image playback control. Further, when the image file includes each data of the reduced image for the left eye and the reduced image for the right eye, the reduced image can be reproduced in the stereoscopic display using the data.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

501 Lens unit 505 Imaging device 509 System control unit 510 Recording medium control I / F unit 511 Recording medium 513 Image composition circuit 514 Parallax map generation circuit

In order to solve the above problems, an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of image signals having different viewpoints obtained from an imaging unit capable of acquiring a plurality of pixel signals having different viewpoints, and a plurality of images having different viewpoints. obtaining means for pixel signals to obtain a synthesized image signal obtained by combining, on the basis of a plurality of different image signals of said viewpoint, it generates the corresponding map data on the distribution of the positional deviation amount of the image between the image signal Map generating means for outputting, and output means for outputting the composite image signal and the map data in association with each other.

Claims (10)

Acquisition means for acquiring a plurality of image signals from different viewpoints;
Image generation means for generating a composite image signal by combining image signals of different viewpoints acquired by the acquisition means;
Map generating means for generating map data corresponding to the distribution of image positional deviation amounts between the image signals based on the image signals of the different viewpoints;
An image processing apparatus comprising: output means for outputting the combined image signal and the map data in association with each other.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit generates an image file including the composite image signal and the map data.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a recording unit that records the image file generated by the output unit on a recording medium.   4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the composite image signal is included in the image file as a JPEG image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image file is in a DCF format.   6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the output unit includes a reduced image signal generated by resizing the combined image signal in the image file.   The output means includes a reduced image signal generated by resizing the combined image signal and a reduced map data in which the map data is resized corresponding to the reduced image signal, in the image file. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image processing apparatus is an image processing apparatus. Imaging means;
An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An imaging device comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of image signals having different viewpoints;
An image generation step of combining the image signals of different viewpoints acquired in the acquisition step to generate a composite image signal;
A map generation step of generating map data corresponding to the distribution of image positional deviation amounts between the image signals based on the image signals of the different viewpoints;
And a step of outputting the combined image signal and the map data in association with each other. The method according to claim 9, wherein in the output step, an image file including the composite image signal and the map data is generated.

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