Image Processing Apparatus, Image Processing Method, Program, and Recording Medium

• US 20100086175A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: YOKONO, Jun, Hasegawa, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/449 Biologically inspired filters, e.g. difference of Gaussians [DoG] or Gabor filters
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a detector, a setting unit, and an image generator. The detector detects a target object image region from a first image. When one or more predetermined parameters are applicable to a target object within the region detected by the detector, the setting unit sets the relevant target object image region as a first region. The image generator then generates a second image by applying predetermined processing to either the image portion within the first region, or to the image portions in a second region containing image portions within the first image that are not contained in the first region.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

detecting means configured to detect a target object image region from a first image;

setting means configured such that, when one or more predetermined parameters are applicable to a target object within the region detected by the detecting means, the relevant target object image region is set as a first region; and

generating means configured to generate a second image by applying predetermined processing to either the image portion within the first region, or to the image portions in a second region containing image portions within the first image that are not contained in the first region.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes

generating means configured to generate, from the first image, images having differing scale coefficients,

extracting means configured to extract feature points from each image generated by the generating means,

calculating means configured to calculate feature values for the feature points by filtering the feature points using a predetermined filter, and

detecting means configured to detect the target object from the first image by substituting the feature values into a classifier obtained by statistical learning and used for detecting a target object from an image.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more the predetermined parameters include a parameter stipulating that a region is to be set as the first region if, in that region, the target object is detected to be a human, but a face is not detected.

4. The image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more predetermined parameters include a parameter stipulating that a region is to be set as the first region if the target object detected in that region is not a registered target object.

5. The image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one or more predetermined parameters include a parameter stipulating that a region is to be set as the first region when the target object detected in that region is a human, but is determined to not be smiling.

6. The image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the second image by compositing the first region with another image obtained in advance.

7. The image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the second image by replacing the image portions of the second region with portions of an image obtained in advance, and then composites the replaced image portions with the image portions within the first region.

8. The image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the second image by pixelizing the first region.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the second image by pixelizing the second region.

10. An image processing method executed in an image processing apparatus provided with detecting means, setting means, and generating means, the method comprising the steps of:

causing the detecting means to detect a target object image region from a first image;

causing the setting means to operate such that, when one or more predetermined parameters are applicable to a target object within the detected region, the relevant target object image region is set as a first region; and

causing the generating means to generate a second image by applying predetermined processing to either the image portion within the first region, or to the image portions in a second region containing image portions within the first image that are not contained in the first region.

11. A program causing a computer to execute processing in an image processing apparatus provided with detecting means, setting means, and generating means, the processing comprising the steps of:

causing the detecting means to detect a target object image region from a first image;

causing the setting means to operate such that, when one or more predetermined parameters are applicable to a target object within the detected region, the relevant target object image region is set as a first region; and

causing the generating means to generate a second image by applying predetermined processing to either the image portion within the first region, or to the image portions in a second region containing image portions within the first image that are not contained in the first region.

12. A recording medium, comprising:

the program according to claim 11 recorded thereon.

13. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a detector configured to detect a target object image region from a first image;

a setting unit configured such that, when one or more predetermined parameters are applicable to a target object within the region detected by the detector, the relevant target object image region is set as a first region; and

an image generator configured to generate a second image by applying predetermined processing to either the image portion within the first region, or to the image portions in a second region containing image portions within the first image that are not contained in the first region.