Image processing apparatus and method

Abstract

An imaging unit reduces a light amount and performs a plurality of imagings of the fundus of the eye so as to generate a plurality of fundus images. A biological information alignment processing unit aligns the fundus images by using biological information of a subject. A super-resolution processing unit superimposes an aligned input image on a previous super-resolution result image so as to generate a new super-resolution result image. The super-resolution processing unit stores or outputs the super-resolution result image in a storage unit or from an output unit, and supplies the super-resolution result image to a super-resolution result image buffer so as to be stored. The present technology may be applied to, for example, an image processing apparatus.

1 . A handheld portable fundus imaging apparatus comprising:
 a light source configured to emit light having infrared wavelength band or visible wavelength band;   an imaging unit including:
 an optic system having at least one incident optical axis, and 
 a CMOS type image sensor configured to generate an image signal; 
   a holding portion that is extended in a direction substantially vertical to the incident optical axis;   a circuitry configured to:
 control the light source and the imaging unit to capture at least one of an infrared light image and a visible light image; 
 perform an image processing on the captured image; and 
   a communication unit configured to transmit, to an external information processing apparatus, the processed image and information to be used for associating the processed image with information stored in the external information processing apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . A remote fundus diagnostic system comprising:
 a handheld portable fundus imaging apparatus including:
 a light source configured to emit light having infrared wavelength band or visible wavelength band; 
 an imaging unit including:
 an optic system having at least one incident optical axis, and 
 a CMOS type image sensor configured to generate an image signal; 
 
 a holding portion that is extended in a direction substantially vertical to the incident optical axis; 
 a circuitry configured to:
 control the light source and the imaging unit to capture at least one of an infrared light image and a visible light image; 
 perform an image processing on the captured image; and 
 
 a communication unit configured to transmit, to an external information processing apparatus, the processed image and first information to be used for associating the processed image with second information stored in the external information processing apparatus; and 
   the external information processing apparatus including:
 a memory configured to store the second information; 
 a communication unit configured to receive the processed image and the first information from the handheld portable fundus imaging apparatus; and 
 a processor configured to:
 associate the received image and the second information based on the received first information; 
 control the memory to store the received image with the second information.