Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program

• US 20060152605A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okazaki, Masaru
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/895 in combination with error concealment

Abstract

An image processing method and apparatus for reproducing moving image data, the method and apparatus comprising detecting defects in receiving moving image data, determining the priority of each defect if there are a plurality of defects in at least one frame of the received moving image data, and performing interpolation for each defect based on the determined priority.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data, comprising:

a defect detecting unit adapted to detect defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining unit adapted to determine the priority of each defect if there are a plurality of defects in at least one frame of the received moving image data; and

an interpolation processing unit adapted to perform interpolation for each defect based on the priority determined by the priority determining unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an importance-level determining unit adapted to divide the at least one frame into a plurality of image areas and determine the level of importance of each of the plurality of defects based on location information about each of the image areas including the defects,

wherein the priority determining unit determines the priority based on the level of importance determined by the importance-level determining unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a difficulty-level determining unit adapted to determine the level of difficulty in performing interpolation for each of the defects based on the size of the area of the defect,

wherein the priority determining unit determines the priority based on the level of difficulty determined by the difficulty-level determining unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time management unit adapted to specify a time limit for the interpolation and determine whether the time limit is exceeded; and

a stop instructing unit adapted to instruct the interpolation processing unit to stop performing the interpolation if the time management unit determines that the time limit is exceeded,

wherein the interpolation processing unit stops performing the interpolation according to an instruction from the stop instructing unit.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the location information that the importance-level determining unit uses to determine the level of importance is information indicating the distance from the moving image data'"'"'s center to each of the image areas including the defects.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a location determining unit adapted to determine whether the location of a defect is the same as the location of an area interpolated in the preceding frame,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the determination by the location determining unit to determine the level of importance.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a face detecting unit adapted to detect, in the received moving image data, an area that is presumed to contain a human facial image,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the result of detection by the face detecting unit to determine the level of importance.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a focus detecting unit adapted to detect, in the received moving image data, an area in focus,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the result of detection by the focus detecting unit to determine the level of importance.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a frequency detecting unit adapted to detect information related to a spatial frequency in an area including a defect in the received moving image data,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the result of detection by the frequency detecting unit to determine the level of importance.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an area detecting unit adapted to detect the size of the area of each defect,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the result of detection by the area detecting unit to determine the level of importance.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a motion detecting unit adapted to detect the amount of motion of an area including a defect by comparison between frames,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the result of detection by the motion detecting unit to determine the level of importance.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an interpolation-method determining unit adapted to determine an interpolation method for each defect if a plurality of interpolation methods are available; and

a time estimating unit adapted to estimate the amount of time required for performing interpolation using the interpolation method determined by the interpolation-method determining unit,

wherein the importance-level determining unit further uses the estimation by the time estimating unit to determine the level of importance.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interpolation-method determining unit adapted to determine an interpolation method for each defect if a plurality of interpolation methods are available;

an estimated-time managing unit adapted to estimate the amount of time required for performing interpolation for all defects using the interpolation method determined by the interpolation-method determining unit with respect to each of the defects, and determine whether the estimated time is within a time limit; and

an interpolation-method changing unit adapted to change some or all interpolation methods determined by the interpolation-method determining unit to different interpolation methods that require less time to perform interpolation, if the estimated-time managing unit determines that the estimated time is not within the time limit.

14. An image processing method for an image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data, the image processing method comprising:

a defect detecting step of detecting defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining step of determining the priority of each defect if a plurality of defects are detected in at least one frame of the received moving image data by the defect detecting step; and

an interpolation processing step of performing interpolation for each defect based on the priority determined in the priority determining step.

15. The image processing method according to claim 14, further comprising:

an importance-level determining step of dividing the at least one frame into a plurality of image areas and determining the level of importance of each of the plurality of defects based on location information about each of the image areas including the defects,

wherein the priority is determined in the priority determining step based on the level of importance determined in the importance-level determining step.

16. Computer-executable process steps for an image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data, the computer-executable process steps comprising:

a defect detecting step of detecting defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining step of determining the priority of each defect if a plurality of defects are detected in at least one frame of the received moving image data by the defect detecting step; and

an interpolation processing step of performing interpolation for each defect based on the priority determined in the priority determining step.

17. The computer-executable process steps according to claim 16, wherein

the computer-executable process steps include an importance-level determining step of dividing the at least one frame into a plurality of image areas and determining the level of importance of each of the plurality of defects based on location information about each of the image areas including the defects, wherein

the priority is determined in the priority determining step based on the level of importance determined in the importance-level determining step.

18. A computer-readable storage medium for storing the computer-executable process steps of claim 16.