Image processing device

• US 20060139462A1
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yamada, Takashi, Fukasawa, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US10/543,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139462A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3212 of data relating to a job, e.g. communication, capture or filing of an image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3266 of text or character information, e.g. text accompanying an image H04N2201/3226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to reflect the photographer'"'"'s intention on image processing. A computer PC as image processing device acquires metadata along with image data to be processed. The metadata includes comment data added later by the photographer of the image, which represents the content of the image data in a human language. The image processing device analyzes the comment data by the aid of an analysis dictionary DB 15 to set an image processing parameter on which the content of the comment data is reflected. Using this image processing parameter enables the image processing to reflect the intention of the photographer.

Claims

1. An image processing device that performs image processing on image data, comprising:

an acquisition module that acquires comment data and the image data, the comment data representing a description of the image data in a human language;

a parameter setting module that analyzes the descriptive content of the comment data so as to set an image processing parameter for the image processing based on the analysis result; and

an image processing module that performs the image processing on the image data according to the image processing parameter.

2. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a parameter storage module that stores therein sets of the image processing parameters corresponding to a plurality of image processing modes set in advance,

wherein the parameter setting module selects one of the image processing modes based on the analysis result.

3. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a parameter storage module that stores therein sets of the image processing parameters corresponding to a plurality of image processing modes set in advance,

wherein the parameter setting module combines at least two sets of the image processing parameters based on the analysis result so as to set the image processing parameters.

4. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a keyword storage module that directly or indirectly associates a predetermined keyword with the image processing parameter in advance,

wherein the parameter setting module extracts the keyword from the comment data and refers to the keyword storage module for the keyword so as to set the image processing parameter.

5. An image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the keyword includes at least one of time information that represents time corresponding to an image represented by the image data and a word relating to the image.

6. An image processing device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a related word storage module that stores therein in advance a relationship that directly or indirectly associates a related word used along with the keyword with the image processing parameter,

wherein the parameter setting module further extracts the related word corresponding to the keyword and refers to the related word storage module for the related word so as to set the image processing parameter.

7. An image processing device according to claim 4, wherein if a plurality of the keywords are extracted, the parameter setting module identifies display formats in which the letter strings of the keywords are displayed, based on the comment data, and modifies an evaluation of each of the keywords according to the display format so as to set the image processing parameter.

8. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition module further acquires image information representing either one of a generation condition of the image data and an analysis result of the image data, and

the parameter setting module further reflects the image information on setting of the image processing parameter.

9. An image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the parameter setting module sets the image processing parameter based on the analysis result, and corrects the image processing parameter based on the generation condition.

10. An image processing device according to claim 9, wherein the generation condition includes information representing a scene of image and information representing a shooting condition, and

the parameter setting module performs the correction based on a result of a predetermined calculation performed using an image processing parameter set based on the scene and an image processing parameter set based on the shooting condition.

11. An image processing device according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined calculation includes weighted average calculation.

12. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition module further acquires a generation condition of the image data, and

the parameter setting module selects one of a first mode and second mode based on a predetermined condition so as to set the image processing parameter, the first mode using one of the analysis result and the generation condition for setting of the image processing parameter, and the second mode using both the analysis result and the generation condition for setting of the image processing parameter.

13. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the comment data is included in metadata associated with the image data.

14. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the comment data is a descriptive sentence contained in a document file including the image data.

15. An image processing method of causing a computer to perform image processing on image data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring comment data and the image data, the command data representing a description of the image data in a human language;

setting an image processing parameter for the image processing based on an analysis result that is obtained by analyzing the descriptive content of the comment data; and

performing the image processing on the image data according to the image processing parameter.

16. An image processing method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

storing sets of the image processing parameters corresponding to a plurality of image processing modes set in advance,

wherein the step of setting the image processing parameter includes selecting one of the image processing modes based on the analysis result.

17. An image processing method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

storing sets of the image processing parameters corresponding to a plurality of image processing modes set in advance,

wherein the step of setting the image processing parameter includes combining at least two sets of the image processing parameters based on the analysis result so as to set the image processing parameters.

18. An image processing method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

directly or indirectly associating a predetermined keyword with the image processing parameter in advance,

wherein the step of setting the image processing parameter includes extracting the keyword from the comment data and setting the image processing parameter based on the keyword and the association.

19. An image processing method according to claim 18, wherein the keyword includes at least one of time information that represents time corresponding to an image represented by the image data and a word relating to the image.

20. An image processing method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

storing in advance a relationship that directly or indirectly associates a related word used along with the keyword with the image processing parameter,

wherein the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes extracting the related word corresponding to the keyword and setting the image processing parameter based on the related word and the relationship.

21. An image processing method according to claim 18, wherein if a plurality of the keywords are extracted, the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes identifying display formats in which the letter strings of the keywords are displayed, based on the comment data, and modifying an evaluation of each of the keywords according to the display format so as to set the image processing parameter.

22. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the step of acquiring comment data and the image data further includes acquiring image information representing either one of a generation condition of the image data and an analysis result of the image data, and

the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes reflecting the image information on setting of the image processing parameter.

23. An image processing method according to claim 22, wherein the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes setting the image processing parameter based on the analysis result, and correcting the image processing parameter based on the generation condition.

24. An image processing method according to claim 23, wherein the generation condition includes information representing a scene of image and information representing a shooting condition, and

the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes performing the correction based on a result of a predetermined calculation performed using an image processing parameter set based on the scene and an image processing parameter set based on the shooting condition.

25. An image processing method according to claim 24, wherein the predetermined calculation includes weighted average calculation.

26. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the step of acquiring comment data and the image data further includes acquiring a generation condition of the image data, and

the step of setting the image processing parameter further includes selecting one of a first mode and second mode based on a predetermined condition so as to set the image processing parameter, the first mode using one of the analysis result and the generation condition for setting of the image processing parameter, and the second mode using both the analysis result and the generation condition for setting of the image processing parameter.

27. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the comment data is included in metadata associated with the image data.

28. An image processing method according to claim 15, wherein the comment data is a descriptive sentence contained in a document file including the image data.

29. A recording medium that stores therein a computer program for performing image processing on image data, the computer program comprising:

a program code for acquiring comment data and the image data, the comment data representing a description of the image data in a human language;

a program code for analyzing the descriptive content of the comment data so as to set an image processing parameter for the image processing based on the analysis result; and

a program code for performing the image processing on the image data according to the image processing parameter.