Patent ID: 7443442

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: an image input unit for receiving image signals; a detecting unit for detecting at least high-luminance object signals contained in the image signals received by the image input unit, wherein the detecting unit generates a histogram by calculating the number of pixels for each luminance level on the basis of the image signals and calculates the high-luminance object signals by integrating the pixels falling in a high-luminance frame and low-luminance object signals by integrating the pixels falling in a low-luminance frame; an automatic exposure control unit for controlling an exposure amount to be used for an imaging operation in accordance with the high-luminance object signals detected by the detecting unit based on a comparison of the integration over the high-luminance frame and the low-luminance frame of the histogram; and a gamma correction unit for controlling a gamma correction amount for the image signals received on the basis of the exposure amount controlled by the automatic exposure control unit and the degree of concentration of pixels in a minimum-luminance range detected in the histogram so that the luminance levels of the pixels in the low-luminance frame are raised and distributed to include a medium-luminance range; wherein the gamma correction amount is performed in real time in accordance with an object condition in the image signals.