Image processing apparatus, method, and program

• US 20060221090A1
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ida, Takashi, Takeshima, Hidenori
• Application Number:
  US11/374,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20060221090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/582
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation

Abstract

Image processing method includes acquiring image including object and background, acquiring initial region including object region containing object and background region containing background, setting target region including initial region in image, setting local region containing pixel of interest, calculating local object reliability indicating a degree that pixel of interest seems to belong to object region and local background reliability indicating degree that pixel of interest seems to belong to background region by using information of luminance or color of local object region and information of luminance or color of local background region, respectively, local object region including object region and local region and local background region including background region and local region, deciding that pixel of interest belongs to one of object region and background region, based on local object reliability and local background reliability, and outputting region information representing one of object region and background region.

Claims

1. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring an image including an object and a background;

acquiring an initial region including an object region containing the object and a background region containing the background;

setting a target region including the initial region in the image;

setting a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

calculating local object reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the object region and local background reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the background region by using information of a luminance or color of a local object region and information of a luminance or color of a local background region, respectively, the local object region including the object region and the local region and the local background region including the background region and the local region;

deciding that the pixel of interest belongs to one of the object region and the background region, based on the local object reliability and the local background reliability; and

outputting region information representing the one of the object region and the background region which is decided by the deciding.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein setting the target region comprises setting the target region including all pixels in the image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein setting the target region comprises

calculating a plurality of positions of boundary pixels between the object region and the background region;

and

setting in the image a region containing the boundary pixels and having a width corresponding to number of pixels as the target region.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a graphic pattern is set with reference to the pixel of interest, and an interior of the graphic pattern is set as the local region.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

an area of an interior of the local object region having a same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest is used as the local object reliability,

an area of an interior of the local background region having the same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest is used as the local background reliability, and

when it is decided whether the pixel of interest belongs to the object region or the background region, it is decided that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with higher reliability of the local object reliability and the local background reliability.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a label image having a same size as that of the acquired image, and obtaining a plurality of label images; and

obtaining a weight value, for each of label values of the label images and each value of a luminance or color of each pixel, by using the acquired image, the initial region, and the label image with respect to the object region and the background region, to acquire a plurality of weight values, and

wherein the weight value is acquired for each pixel in the interior of the local object region from three values including a mask value, a label value, and a luminance or color of the pixel in the object region, and a sum total of the weight values is used as the local object reliability and the local background reliability, and

when it is decided whether the pixel of interest belongs to the object region or the background region, it is decided that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with higher reliability of the local object reliability and the local background reliability.

7. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring a first image;

acquiring a second image having a same size as that of the first image;

generating an initial region in which each of the first image and the second image is determined as an object region when a difference value between the first image and the second image falls outside a range, and is determined as a background region when the difference value falls within the range; and

inputting the first image and the initial region and applying, to the first image and the initial region, the image processing method defined in claim 1.

8. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring an image;

obtaining a label image having a same size as that of the acquired image;

setting a target region in the acquired image;

setting a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

calculating, for each local label value, reliability indicating a degree that a pixel of interest seems to belong to a label value by using information of a luminance or color of a local label value region, the local label value region having the label value and included in the local region;

deciding, based on the reliability for each local label value, a label value to which the pixel of interest belongs, and applying, to the target region, the deciding the label value; and

outputting a label image obtained by the deciding the label value.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein setting the target region comprises setting the target region including all pixels in the acquired image.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the setting the target region comprises

calculating a plurality of positions of boundary pixels each having a label value different from an adjacent label value in the label image, and

setting in the image a region containing the boundary pixels and having a width corresponding to number of pixels as the target region.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein a graphic pattern is set with reference to the pixel of interest, and an interior of the graphic pattern is set as the local region.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein

an area of an interior of the local label value region having a same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest is used as the reliability for each local label value, and

when a label value to which the pixel of interest belongs is decided, it is decided that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with a label value having highest reliability of reliability items each decided for each local label value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the area of the interior of the local label value region is calculated by

initializing a hash table holding hash elements as pairs of label values and occurrence frequencies, each of the hash elements failing to exist in the hash table,

calculating a hash element position at which the label value is held in the hash table,

increasing an occurrence-frequency value of the label value if the label value is held at the hash element position,

creating a hash element on which the label value and the occurrence-frequency value are recorded in the hash table if the label value fails to be held at the hash element position, and

applying the creating the hash element to all pixels in the local region with respect to the pixel of interest.

14. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire an image including an object and a background, and an initial region including an object region containing the object and a background region containing the background;

a setting unit configured to set a target region including the initial region in the image, and a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

a calculating unit configured to calculate local object reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the object region and local background reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the background region by using information of a luminance or color of a local object region and information of a luminance or color of a local background region, respectively, the local object region including the object region and the local region and the local background region including the background region and the local region;

a deciding unit configured to decide that the pixel of interest belongs to one of the object region and the background region, based on the local object reliability and the local background reliability; and

an outputting unit configured to output region information representing the one of the object region and the background region which is decided by the deciding unit.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the setting unit sets the target region including all pixels in the image.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the setting unit comprises

a calculating unit configured to calculate a plurality of positions of boundary pixels between the object region and the background region, and

a setting unit configured to set in the image a region containing the boundary pixels and having a width corresponding to number of pixels as the target region.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the setting unit sets a graphic pattern with reference to the pixel of interest, and sets an interior of the graphic pattern as the local region.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the calculating unit uses an area of an interior of the local object region having the same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest as the local object reliability, and an area of an interior of the local background region having a same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest as the local background reliability, and

the deciding unit decides that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with higher reliability of the local object reliability and the local background reliability.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a label image having a same size as that of the acquired image, and obtain a plurality of label images; and

a calculating unit configured to calculate a weight value, for each of label values of the label images and each value of a luminance or color of each pixel, by using the acquired image, the initial region, and the label image with respect to the object region and the background region, to acquire a plurality of weight values, and

wherein the estimating unit acquires the weight value for each pixel in the interior of the local object region from three values including a mask value, a label value, and a luminance or color of the pixel in the object region, and uses a sum total of the weight values as the local object reliability and the local background reliability, and

the deciding unit decides that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with higher reliability of the local object reliability and the local background reliability.

20. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire a first image and a second image having a same size as that of the first image;

a generating unit configured to generate an initial region in which each of the first image and the second image is determined as an object region when a difference value between the first image and the second image falls outside a range, and is determined as a background region when the difference value falls within the range; and

an inputting unit configured to input the first image and the initial region and applying, to the first image and the initial region, an image processing apparatus defined in claims 14.

21. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire an image;

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a label image having a same size as that of the acquired image;

a setting unit configured to set a target region in the acquired image and a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

a calculating unit configured to calculate, for each local label value, reliability indicating a degree that a pixel of interest seems to belong to a label value by using information of a luminance or color of a local label value region, the local label value region having the label value and included in the local region;

a deciding unit configured to decide, based on the reliability for each local label value, a label value to which the pixel of interest belongs; and

an outputting unit configured to output a label image obtained by the deciding unit.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the setting unit sets the target region including all pixels in the acquired image.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the setting unit comprises

a calculating unit configured to calculate a plurality of positions of boundary pixels each having a label value different from an adjacent label value in the label image, and

a setting unit configured to set in the image a region containing the boundary pixels and having a width corresponding to number of pixels as the target region.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the setting unit sets a graphic pattern with reference to the pixel of interest, and sets an interior of the graphic pattern as the local region.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the setting unit uses an area of an interior of the local label value region having a same luminance or color as that of the pixel of interest as the reliability for each local label value, and

the deciding unit decides that the pixel of interest belongs to a region with a label value having highest reliability of reliability items each decided for each local label value.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the setting unit comprises:

an initializing unit configured to initialize a hash table holding hash elements as pairs of label values and occurrence frequencies, each of the hash elements failing to exist in the hash table;

a calculating unit configured to calculate a hash element position at which the label value is held in the hash table;

an increasing unit configured to increase an occurrence-frequency value of the label value if the label value is held at the hash element position;

a creating unit configured to create a hash element on which the label value and the occurrence-frequency value are recorded in the hash table if the label value fails to be held at the hash element position, and

an applying unit configured to apply the increasing unit and the creating unit to all pixels in the local region with respect to the pixel of interest, and to calculate the area.

27. An image processing program stored in a computer readable medium comprising:

means for instructing a computer to acquire an image including an object and a background and an initial region including an object region containing the object and a background region containing the background;

means for instructing a computer to set a target region including the initial region in the image, and a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

means for instructing a computer to calculate local object reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the object region and local background reliability indicating a degree that the pixel of interest seems to belong to the background region by using information of a luminance or color of a local object region and information of a luminance or color of a local background region, respectively, the local object region including the object region and the local region and the local background region including the background region and the local region;

means for instructing a computer to decide that the pixel of interest belongs to one of the object region and the background region, based on the local object reliability and the local background reliability; and

means for instructing a computer to output region information representing the one of the object region and the background region which is decided by the deciding means.

28. An image processing program stored in a computer readable medium comprising:

means for instructing a computer to acquire an image;

means for instructing a computer to obtain a label image having a same size as that of the acquired image;

means for instructing a computer to set a target region in the acquired image and a local region containing a pixel of interest and included in the target region;

means for instructing a computer to calculate, for each local label value, reliability indicating a degree that a pixel of interest seems to belong to a label value by using information of a luminance or color of a local label value region, the local label value region having the label value and included in the local region;

means for instructing a computer to decide, based on the reliability for each local label value, a label value to which the pixel of interest belongs; and

means for instructing a computer to output a label image obtained by the deciding means.