Patent ID: 9467625
Filing Date: 2016-10-11
CPC Classification: G06T,H04N

Claim Text:
1. An imaging device comprising: an imaging section; an overlapping area identifying section which identifies overlapping areas of each adjacent image consecutively captured by the imaging section; a texture judging section which judges whether an amount of texture in the overlapping areas identified by the overlapping area identifying section is smaller than a predetermined reference value; a region decision section which decides, with respect to each pair of adjacent images, (i) a first region where the amount of texture is smaller than the predetermined reference value, in the overlapping area of one of the adjacent images of the pair of adjacent images, and (ii) a second region where the amount of texture is smaller than the predetermined reference value, in the overlapping area of the other adjacent image of the pair of adjacent images; a ratio judging section which judges whether or not a ratio of at least one the first region and the second region to the corresponding overlapping area is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value; an adjusting section which, in a case in which the ratio judging section judges that the ratio is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, widens widths of the overlapping areas in areas corresponding to the first region and the second region to be wider than widths of areas of the overlapping areas where the amount of texture is not smaller than the predetermined reference value, and adjusts, with respect to existing pixel values of the adjacent images, the pixel values in at least one of the overlapping areas so that the pixel values of the overlapping areas come within a predetermined range; and a combining section which combines the adjacent images such that the overlapping areas of the adjacent images coincide with each other.