Image Processing Method, a Program of an Image Processing Method, a Recording Medium on Which a Program of an Image Processing Method is Recorded and an Image Processing Circuit

• US 20080049145A1
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ueda, Kazuhiko, Asano, Mitsuyasu, YOKOYAMA, Kazuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/699
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

An image processing method in which a video signal is processed to detect a conspicuous area which is thought that a camera person intends to shoot, the method includes the steps of: detecting a motion vector in each portion of the video signal; detecting a representative value that represents a motion in two places in an outer part of a screen; detecting a motion component caused by zooming operations from the representative value; detecting a conspicuous degree by zooming in which a motion component caused by zooming operations is detected in each portion of the video signal based on the motion component caused by zooming operations; correcting a motion vector; detecting a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt from the representative value; detecting a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt; and detecting a total conspicuous degree.

Claims

1. An image processing method in which a video signal is processed to detect a conspicuous area which is thought that a camera person intends to shoot, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a motion vector in each portion of the video signal;

detecting a representative value that represents a motion in two places in an outer part of a screen, the two places facing to each other as the center of the screen is between the two places in accordance with at least the video signal, from the motion vector detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by zooming operations from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree by zooming in which a motion component caused by zooming operations is detected in each portion of the video signal based on the motion component caused by zooming operations;

correcting a motion vector in which a corresponding motion component detected in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming is removed from the motion vector in each portion detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt in which the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt is subtracted from the motion vector in each portion computed in the step of correcting the motion vector to detect a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt in each portion; and

detecting a total conspicuous degree in which computed values in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming and in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt are added in each portion to compute a conspicuous degree that indicates a probability of being the conspicuous area in each portion.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of detecting the representative value, a histogram of the motion vector is generated for each of the outer parts, and a motion vector having a largest distribution is set to the representative value.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of detecting the motion component caused by zooming, an antiphase component is detected from the representative value to detect the motion component caused by zooming operations.

4. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of detecting the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt, an in-phase component is detected from the representative value to detect the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt.

5. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming, by interpolating the motion component caused by zooming operations in which a position on each portion of the screen of the video signal is a variable, a motion component caused by zooming operations is detected in each portion of the video signal.

6. The image processing method according to claim 1, comprising a step of smoothing the conspicuous degree that is computed in the step of detecting the total conspicuous degree.

7. A program of an image processing method in which a video signal is processed to detect a conspicuous area which is thought that a camera person intends to shoot, the program of the image processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting a motion vector in each portion of the video signal;

detecting a representative value that represents a motion in two places in an outer part of a screen, the two places facing to each other as the center of the screen is between the two places in accordance with at least the video signal, from the motion vector detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by zooming operations from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree by zooming in which a motion component caused by zooming operations is detected in each portion of the video signal based on the motion component caused by zooming operations;

correcting a motion vector in which a corresponding motion component detected in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming is removed from the motion vector in each portion detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt in which the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt is subtracted from the motion vector in each portion computed in the step of correcting the motion vector to detect a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt in each portion; and

detecting a total conspicuous degree in which computed values in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming and in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt are added in each portion to compute a conspicuous degree that indicates a probability of being the conspicuous area in each portion.

8. A recording medium on which a program of an image processing method is recorded in which a video signal is processed to detect a conspicuous area which is thought that a camera person intends to shoot, the image processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting a motion vector in each portion of the video signal;

detecting a representative value that represents a motion in two places in an outer part of a screen, the two places facing to each other as the center of the screen is between the two places in accordance with at least the video signal, from the motion vector detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by zooming operations from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree by zooming in which a motion component caused by zooming operations is detected in each portion of the video signal based on the motion component caused by zooming operations;

correcting a motion vector in which a corresponding motion component detected in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming is removed from the motion vector in each portion detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

detecting a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt from the representative value;

detecting a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt in which the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt is subtracted from the motion vector in each portion computed in the step of correcting the motion vector to detect a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt in each portion; and

detecting a total conspicuous degree in which computed values in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming and in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt are added in each portion to compute a conspicuous degree that indicates a probability of being the conspicuous area in each portion.

9. An image processing apparatus in which a video signal is processed to detect a conspicuous area which is thought that a camera person intends to shoot, the apparatus comprising:

a motion vector detecting part configured to detect a motion vector in each portion of the video signal;

a representative value detecting part configured to detect a representative value that represents a motion in two places in an outer part of a screen, the two places facing to each other as the center of the screen is between the two places in accordance with at least the video signal, from the motion vector detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

a detecting part of a motion component caused by zooming configured to detect a motion component caused by zooming operations from the representative value;

a detecting part of a conspicuous degree caused by zooming configured to detect a motion component caused by zooming operations in each portion of the video signal based on the motion component caused by zooming operations;

a motion vector correcting part configured to correct a motion vector in which a corresponding motion component detected in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming is removed from the motion vector in each portion detected in the step of detecting the motion vector;

a detecting part of motion component caused by making a pan and tilt configured to detect a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt from the representative value;

a detecting part of a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt configured to detect a conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt in which the motion component caused by making a pan and tilt is subtracted from the motion vector in each portion computed in the step of correcting the motion vector to detect a motion component caused by making a pan and tilt in each portion; and

a total conspicuous degree detecting part configured to detect a total conspicuous degree in which computed values in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by zooming and in the step of detecting the conspicuous degree caused by making a pan and tilt are added in each portion to compute a conspicuous degree that indicates a probability of being the conspicuous area in each portion.