Image processing device and method, and distribution medium

• US 20070110279A1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akio Ohba
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohba, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2504 Coarse or fine approaches, e.g. resolution of ambiguities or multiscale approaches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

To make it possible to accurately track a prescribed part a low-resolution overall image is taken in from an input image, and a medium-resolution image, whose center is the head part, is extracted from it. When it is possible to extract a medium-resolution image in the middle of which is the head part, an even higher-resolution image is extracted, in the middle of which is the two-eyes part.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

(a) taking an image of a prescribed part of a user by a camera;

(b) instructing the user to move the image of the prescribed part of the user to determine whether a position and an expression of the image of the prescribed part of the user have been extracted correctly; and

(c) executing relevant processing based on a result of the determination.

15. The image processing method of claim 14, wherein a processing begins to return the relevant processing to the first step when the user provides a correction instruction in a case that the correct extraction of the position and the expression has not been carried out.

16. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

(a) extracting a prescribed part of a user from an image of the user;

(b) generating a CG image of a mask and superimposing and drawing the CG image of the mask on the image of the user;

(c) instructing the user to move the image of the prescribed part of the user; and

(d) displaying changes of the part of the CG image of the mask that corresponds to the prescribed part of the image of the user, so that the user can determine whether the prescribed part of the user has been extracted correctly.

17. The image processing method of claim 16, wherein the step (d) where the user determines whether the prescribed part of the user has been extracted correctly is followed by a step of returning the processing to the step (a) when the correct extraction of the user has not been carried out.

18. An image processing device comprising:

means for taking an image of a prescribed part of a user;

means for determining whether a position and an expression of the image of the prescribed part of the user have been extracted correctly when the user moves the image of the prescribed part of the user that has been taken; and

means for executing a relevant processing based on an input of the user in response to a result of the determination.

19. The image processing device of claim 18, wherein when the correct extraction of die prescribed part of the image of the user has not been carried out, the means for executing the relevant processing based on the input of the user in response to the result of the determination operates to make the means for taking the image of the prescribed part of the user to function to take a new image of the prescribed part of the user.

20. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium and executable by a computer for processing an image performing the steps of:

(a) taking all image of a prescribed part of a user by a camera;

(b) instructing the user to move the image of the prescribed part of the user to determine whether a position and an expression of the image of the prescribed part of the user have been extracted correctly; and

(c) executing relevant processing based on a result of the determination.

21. The computer program of claim 20, wherein a processing begins to return the relevant processing to the first step when the user provides a correction instruction in a case that the correct extraction of the position and the expression has not been carried out.

22. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium and executable by a computer for processing an image performing the steps of:

(a) extracting a prescribed part of a user from an image of the user;

(b) generating a CG image of a mask and superimposing and drawing the CG image of the mask on the image of the user;

(c) instructing the user to move the image of the prescribed part of the user; and

(d) displaying changes of the part of the CG image of the mask that corresponds to the prescribed part of the image of the user, so that the user can determine whether the prescribed part of the user has been extracted correctly.

23. The computer program of claim 22, wherein the step (d) where the user determines whether the prescribed part of the user has been extracted correctly is followed by a step of returning the processing to the step (a) when the correct extraction of the user has not been carried out.