Image selection device and image selecting method

• US 20060036948A1
• Filed: 11/29/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Matsuzaka, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US11/000,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036948A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

The image selection processing device of the present invention is an image selection processing device for selecting as still images part of a moving image based on specified setting conditions, comprising an image extraction unit for extracting a plurality of images from the image group that forms the moving image, a movement detection unit for detecting the parts with movement within the images for each of the extracted images, a sequence setting unit for evaluating the parts with movement within the detected images based on the specified setting conditions and doing sequence allocation for each of the extracted images, and an output unit for outputting the still images based on the sequence allocation. With this image selection processing device, it is possible to efficiently select desired images from a plurality of images.

Claims

1. An image selection processing device for selecting as a still image part of a moving image formed as a group of images consisting of a plurality of images, the image selection processing device comprising:

an image extraction unit that extracts a plurality of images from the image groups that forms the moving image,

a movement detection unit that detects parts with movement within the image for each of the extracted images,

a sequence setting unit that evaluates the parts with movement within the detected images and allocating a sequence for each of the extracted images, and

an output unit that output the still images based on the sequence allocation.

2. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1, wherein

the sequence setting unit further includes an evaluation standard setting unit that set an evaluation standard that is a condition for evaluation the parts with movement within the detected images, and performs evaluation of the parts with movement based on the set evaluation standard.

3. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1, wherein

the image extraction unit acquires information relating to a switching of scenes for the moving image, and extracts a plurality of images for each scene,

and the image selection processing device performs the sequence allocation for each scene for the moving image, and performs outputting of the still images.

4. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein

the movement detection unit includes:

a subject image selection unit that selects a subject image having a specified correlation with each of the extracted images, and

a displacement volume detection unit for detecting the displacement volume of the position of the captured subjects between the images for the extracted images and the selected subject images,

and the image selection processing device performs displacement volume correction between the images, and based on the partial positional displacement between the images after the correction, detects the parts with movement within the extracted images.

5. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1, wherein

the output unit comprises

a related image evaluation unit for performing evaluation based on the evaluation standard for the related images that are near in terms of time sequence the still images that are candidates for the outputting, ahead of outputting the still images based on the sequence allocation,

and the image selection processing device, when the evaluated related image has a higher sequence priority than the still image of the output candidate, switches the still image of the output candidates, or outputs the related image together with the still image of the output candidates.

6. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1, wherein

the movement detection unit divides the extracted images into block units of a specified size, and is means for detecting the presence or absence of movement with the block units.

7. The image selection processing device recited in claim 6, wherein

the sequence setting unit comprises

a coefficient storage unit in which a plurality of evaluation coefficients given evaluation weighting for each of the divided blocks are stored as matrices corresponding to each block,

the image selection processing device comprising:

a matrix selection unit for selecting one matrix from the plurality of matrices as the evaluation coefficient matrix based on the evaluation standard,

a calculation unit for reading the evaluation coefficients corresponding to the detected blocks with movement from the one evaluation coefficient matrix, and calculating the overall image evaluation value using the read evaluation coefficients, and

a sequence allocation unit for doing sequence allocation based on the calculated evaluation values.

8. The image selection processing device recited in claim 7,

the image selection processing device comprising means for doing sequence allocation based on the status of the blocks with movement within each of the images when a plurality of images are extracted for which the difference of the evaluation values is within a specified scope.

9. The image selection processing device recited in claim 6, wherein

the sequence setting unit comprises:

a flesh colored area extraction unit for extracting flesh colored areas indicating a flesh colored hue for the movement blocks that are blocks determined to have movement within the detected images,

and the image selection processing device performs the sequence allocation of the extracted images such that the images with a higher movement block count comprising the extracted flesh colored areas have a higher sequence priority.

10. The image selection processing device recited in claim 7, wherein

the plurality of evaluation coefficient matrices have coefficients corresponding to the weighting set for each block based on a predetermined specified composition.

11. The image selection processing device recited in claim 7, wherein

the sequence setting unit performs the sequence allocation of the extracted images using the evaluation value for which the value of the number of blocks with movement is excluded.

12. The image selection processing device recited in claim 1, wherein

when the evaluation standard are the standard for selecting the parts with little movement within the images, the sequence setting unit sets the higher level in sequence from the images for which the total area of the parts with movement detected for each of the extracted images is small.

13. An image selection processing device for selecting as still images part of a moving image formed as a group of images consisting of a plurality of images, comprising:

an image extraction device for extracting a plurality of images from the group of images that form the moving image,

a sensor for detecting the parts with movement within the images for each of the extracted images,

an aligner for evaluating the parts with movement within the detected images, doing sequence allocation for each of the extracted images, and aligning the images, and

an output device for outputting the still images based on the sequence allocation.

14. An image selection method for selecting as still images part of a moving image formed as a group of images consisting of a plurality of image,

the image selection method

extracting a plurality of images from the group of images that form the moving image

detecting the parts with movement within the images for each of the extracted images,

evaluating the parts with movement within the detected images and performing sequence allocation for each of the extracted images, and

outputting the still images based on the sequence allocation.

15. A computer program product for realizing by a computer the process of selecting as a still image the parts of a moving image formed as a group of images consisting of a plurality of images,

comprising a program code for being read and executed in a computer and a medium for storing the program code,

the program code comprising:

a first program code for extracting a plurality of images from the group of images that form the moving image,

a second program code for detecting the parts with movement within the images for each of the extracted images,

a third program code for evaluating the parts with movement within the detected images, and doing sequence allocation for each of the extracted image, and

a fourth program code for outputting the still images based on the sequence allocation.

16. A recording medium on which is recorded the computer program recited in claim 15 to be readable by a computer.