Composite still-image creating device capable of creating a still image from moving images

• US 20040252765A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Hosoda, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,733,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing

Abstract

Each of the frames forming moving images is decoded in sequence and while a candidate frame is decoded, a decision is made as to whether or not the motion vector variable-length decoded for each macroblock is greater than a threshold, so that if the motion vector is greater than the threshold, the decoded image of the corresponding block is decided as a partial image forming a subject portion that had motion in the candidate frame and then combined with a base image stored in a still memory in a combining unit, whereby, by repeating this process, a composite still image which allows the motion of the subject to be grasped visually is created in the still memory.

Claims

1. A composite still image creation device comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring moving images coded using an interframe predictive coding process;

a select unit which, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding each frame image contained in the moving images acquired by the acquisition unit, selects partial images in the frame image; and

a combining unit which combines the partial images selected by the select unit with a still image to create a composite still image.

2. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, wherein the select unit includes a motion vector decision section for deciding whether or not there is a region in the frame image in which the associated motion vector is greater than a predetermined threshold and, when the motion vector decision section decides that there is such a region, selects the image of that region as a partial image.

3. The composite still image creation device according to claim 2, wherein the select unit further selects the images of regions adjacent to that region in which the associated motion vector is greater than the threshold as partial images.

4. The composite still image creation device according to claim 3, wherein the select unit further includes a select condition decision section for deciding whether or not the adjacent partial images satisfy a predetermined select condition and selects adjacent partial images decided by the select condition decision section to satisfy the predetermined select condition.

5. The composite still image creation device according to claim 4, wherein the select condition decision section decides whether or not prediction errors in the adjacent partial images used together with the motion vectors in decoding the frame image are greater than a predetermined threshold.

6. The composite still image creation device according to claim 4, further comprising a contour extraction unit which extracts contours of partial images in a frame image, and wherein the select condition decision section decides whether or not the degree of continuity between the contour extracted by the contour extraction unit from the partial image in which the motion vector is greater than the threshold and the contour extracted by the contour extraction unit from each of the adjacent partial images is greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit which, on the basis of motion vectors associated with regions in the same frame image, calculates a frame motion vector indicating the tendency of overall motion of these regions and a correction unit which, on the basis of the frame motion vector calculated by the calculation unit, corrects the positions on the still image in which the partial images are to be placed in creating the composite still image.

8. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a specification unit adapted to specify a certain frame image of multiple frame images forming the moving images acquired by the acquisition unit, and wherein the select unit is adapted to, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding the frame image specified by the specification unit, select partial images in the frame image.

9. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a specification unit adapted to specify a certain frame image of multiple frame images forming the moving images acquired by the acquisition unit, and wherein the select unit is adapted to, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding multiple frame images starting with the frame image specified by the specification unit, select partial images in the frame images.

10. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a specification unit adapted to specify a certain frame image of multiple frame images forming the moving images acquired by the acquisition unit, and wherein the select unit is adapted to, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding multiple frame images through the frame image specified by the specification unit, select partial images in the frame images.

11. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a specification unit adapted to specify a certain frame image of multiple frame images forming the moving images acquired by the acquisition unit, and wherein the combining unit is adapted to combine partial images selected by the select unit with the frame image specified by the specification unit.

12. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit adapted to visually display the composite still image created by the combining unit.

13. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a printer adapted to print the composite still image created by the combining unit.

14. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is adapted to acquire MPEG-coded moving images.

15. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit includes a memory to store the moving images coded by the interframe predictive coding process and acquires the moving images stored in the memory.

16. The composite still image creation device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit includes an encoder adapted to encode moving images by the interframe predictive coding process and acquires the moving images coded by the encoder.

17. The composite still image creation device according to claim 16, wherein the acquisition unit includes an imaging device adapted to capture a subject and output moving images thereof, and wherein the encoder is adapted to code the moving images output from the imaging device by the interframe predictive coding process.

18. A composite still image creation device comprising:

means for acquiring moving images coded using an interframe predictive coding process;

means for, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding each frame image contained in the moving images acquired by the acquisition means, selecting partial images in the frame image; and

means for combining the partial images selected by the select means with a still image to create a composite still image.

19. A composite still image creation method comprising:

acquiring moving images coded using an interframe predictive coding process;

selecting, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding each frame image contained in the acquired moving images, partial images in the frame image; and

combining the selected partial images with a still image to create a composite still image.

20. A composite still image creation program adapted to a computer provided in a composite still image creation device to execute:

a process of acquiring moving images coded using an interframe predictive coding process;

a process of, on the basis of motion vectors used in decoding each frame image contained in the acquired moving images, selecting partial images in the frame image; and

a process of combining the selected partial images with a still image to create a composite still image.