Patent ID: 7576777

Claim:
An image processing device comprising: a continuity region detector configured to detect a region having data continuity within image data made up of a plurality of pixels acquired by light signals of a real world being cast upon a plurality of detecting elements each having spatio-temporal integration effects, of which a part of continuity of the light signals of the real world have been lost, said continuity region detector includes, a discontinuous portion detector configured to detect a discontinuous region of the pixel values of the plurality of pixels of said image data; a vertex detector configured to detect a vertex of change of said pixel values from said discontinuous portion; a monotone increase or decrease region detector configured to detect a monotone increase or decrease region wherein said pixel values increase or decrease in a monotone manner from said vertex; and a continuousness detector configured to detect a second monotone increase or decrease region existing in a position adjoining an other monotone increase or decrease region within said monotone increase or decrease region detected by said monotone increase or decrease region detector, said second monotone increase or decrease region serving as said continuity region having said data continuity in said first image data; a real world estimating unit configured to estimate said light signals by estimating a continuity of said real world light signals which have been lost, based on data continuity in image data made up of a plurality of pixels, of which a part of continuity of the light signals of the real world have been lost; and an image generating unit configured to generate and output an improved image based on said continuity of said real world light signals estimated by said real world estimating unit, wherein said continuity region detector is configured to detect a discontinuous portion of pixel values of a plurality of pixels in the image data wherein a part of continuity of the light signals of the real world have been lost, and from said detected discontinuous portion, and to detect the continuous region having data continuity; and wherein said real world estimating unit is configured to detect said region again, based on the pixel values of the pixels belonging to said continuity region detected by said continuity region detector, and to estimate said light signals based on said region which is detected again, and said real world estimating unit is configured to detect a region again wherein said pixel values increase or decrease in a monotone manner from said vertex, based on the pixel values of the pixels belonging to said continuity region detected by said continuousness detecting means, and to estimate said light signals based on said region detected again.