Patent ID: 9367900
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: G06T,H04N

Claim Text:
1. An image noise removing apparatus which removes, after removal of noise from a first image, noise included in a second image, the image noise removing apparatus comprising: a non-transitory memory storing a program; and a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the image noise removing apparatus to operates as: a spatial noise removing unit configured to execute an operation for removing the noise included in the second image using a pixel value included in the second image, thereby generating a spatial noise-free image; a reliability calculating unit configured to calculate a reliability indicating how dynamic the second image is, based on the spatial noise-free image, the second image, and a first noise-free image which is generated from the first image with the noise therein removed; and a temporal blending unit configured to perform, based on the reliability, a weighted summation on the second image and the first noise-free image, thereby removing the noise included in the second image, wherein the reliability calculating unit is configured to calculate the reliability to be greater as a pixel included in the second image is less dynamic, and as the weighted summation, the temporal blending unit is configured to weigh the first noise-free image heavier as the reliability is greater, and wherein the pixel value includes elements, and the reliability calculating unit is configured to calculate the reliability to be greater as an angle formed between a first vector and a second vector is narrower, the first vector having, as an element, a difference between a pixel value of a pixel included in the spatial noise-free image and a pixel value of a co-located pixel in the second image, and the second vector having, as an element, a difference between a pixel value of a pixel included in the first noise-free image and a pixel value of a co-located pixel included in the second image.