Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and medium

• US 20040174440A1
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kojima, Kiyonobu, Fujisawa, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a medium which allow accurate control of an image pickup timing based on a result of image recognition with a simple construction. An image pickup section outputs picked up image data to an image recognition section and a delaying section. The image recognition section performs image recognition for the image data inputted thereto and, when it detects predetermined information from among the image data, outputs a trigger signal to an image fetching section to fetch an image. The delaying section delays the image data inputted thereto from the image recognition section to compensate for a delay corresponding to a time required for the image recognition by the image recognition section and outputs resulting image data to the image fetching section. The image fetching section fetches the image data inputted thereto from the delaying section in synchronism with the trigger signal inputted thereto from the image recognition section and outputs the fetched image data to the image storage section. The image storage section stores the image data outputted from the image fetching section.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

image pickup means for picking up an image of an image pickup object to produce image data;

detection means for detecting a variation of the state of the image pickup object from within the image data produced by said image pickup means and generating a trigger signal; and

storage means for storing the image data produced by said image pickup means in synchronism with the trigger signal generated by said detection means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a variation of a brightness value of the image data as the variation of the state of the image pickup object.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a motion vector of the image data as the variation of the state of the image pickup object.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects the variation of the state of the image pickup object based on a predetermined image pattern of the image data.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all of a CCD video camera which forms said image pickup means and a hardware module and a software module which form said detection means and said storage means are integrated in a portable housing.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means calculates a difference value between a sum total of pixel values of all pixels of image data for one frame fetched prior by a predetermined interval of time and a sum total of pixel values of all of the pixels of image data for one frame fetched at a present point of time, and, if the difference value is greater than a reference value set in advance, determines that a variation of the state has occurred with the image pickup object and generates the trigger signal.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said storage means stores the image data for one frame fetched prior by the predetermined interval of time at a point of time when the trigger signal is supplied from said detection means.

8. An information processing method, comprising:

a first pixel value calculation processing step of calculating a sum total of pixel values of all pixels of image data for one frame fetched prior by a predetermined interval of time by image pickup means which picks up an image of an image pickup object;

a second pixel value calculation processing step of calculating a sum total of pixel values of all of the pixels of image data for one frame fetched at a present point of time by said image pickup means;

a detection processing step of calculating a difference value between the value calculated in the first pixel value calculation processing step and the value calculated in the second pixel value calculation processing step and, when the difference value is greater than a reference value set in advance, determining that a variation of the state has occurred with the image pickup object and generating a trigger signal; and

a storage processing step of storing the image data for one frame fetched prior by the predetermined interval of time at a point of time when the trigger signal is generated in the detection processing step.

9. A medium which causes a computer to execute an information processing program comprising:

a first pixel value calculation processing step of calculating a sum total of pixel values of all pixels of image data for one frame fetched prior by a predetermined interval of time by image pickup means which picks up an image of an image pickup object;

a second pixel value calculation processing step of calculating a sum total of pixel values of all of the pixels of image data for one frame fetched at a present point of time by said image pickup means;

a detection processing step of calculating a difference value between the value calculated in the first pixel value calculation processing step and the value calculated in the second pixel value calculation processing step and, when the difference value is greater than a reference value set in advance, determining that a variation of the state has occurred with the image pickup object and generating a trigger signal; and

a storage processing step of storing the image data for one frame fetched prior by the predetermined interval of time at a point of time when the trigger signal is generated in the detection processing step.