IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100177234A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukami, Yukiyasu, Kojima, Shinya, Ogura, Yasunobu, Monobe, Yusuke, Miyazaki, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,089,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• 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

An image processing device appropriately extracts an entire object from an image even if the object is not completely included in an initial region designated by a user. The image processing device includes: a designation unit designating a position on the image; a setting unit setting a first combination consisting of a first object region candidate and a first background region candidate, and a second combination; a histogram generation unit generating a normalized color histogram of each of the regions; a similarity calculation unit calculating a similarity regarding each of the combinations; and a selection unit configured to select a combination from the first and second combinations so that the selected combination has the similarity lower than the similarity of the non-selected combination.

Claims

1. An image processing device that extracts an object from an image, said device comprising:

a designation unit configured to designate a position on the image that is received;

a setting unit configured to set a first combination and a second combination that is different from the first combination based on the position designated by said designation unit, the first combination consisting of a first object region candidate and a first background region candidate, and the second combination consisting of a second object region candidate and a second background region candidate;

a histogram generation unit configured to generate a normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate, and a normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate;

a similarity calculation unit configured to calculate (a) a similarity regarding the first combination and (b) a similarity regarding the second combination, (a) the similarity regarding the first combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, and (b) the similarity regarding the second combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate; and

a selection unit configured to select a combination from the first and second combinations based on the similarities calculated by said similarity calculation unit, the selected combination having the similarity lower than the similarity of the combination not selected.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein said setting unit is configured to

set the first combination and the second combination so that (i) the first object region candidate is identical to the second object region candidate, and that (ii) each of the first and second background region candidates include the first object region candidate, and that (iii) the first and second background region candidates have different sizes.

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

a display unit configured to display the image that is received; and

an outline processing unit configured to display an outline of a region of the object on the image that is received, based on the first or second object region candidate in the selected combination.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the first object region candidate, the second object region candidate, the first background region candidate, the second background region candidate is divided into at least two regions.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising

an outline processing unit configured to display, as a region of the object, an outline of the first or second object region candidate in the selected combination.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein said outline processing unit includes:

an object color estimation unit configured to estimate a color component for the object using (a) the normalized color histogram of the first or second object region candidate in the selected combination and (b) the normalized color histogram of the first or second background region candidate in the selected combination;

an object color extraction unit configured to extract pixels of the color component estimated by said object color estimation unit, using the first or second object region candidate and the first or second background region candidate in the selected combination; and

an object synthesis unit configured to synthesize the pixels extracted by said object color extraction unit into a single object, and to decide the single object to be a region of the object.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1,

wherein said designation unit is configured to designate the position by determining, on the image, a position of the object which is designated by a user,

said setting unit is configured to set the first combination and the second combination so that each of the first and second object region candidates includes the position determined by said designation unit,

said histogram generation unit is configured to generate each of the normalized color histograms by calculating data indicating a ratio of (a) pixels of each color of colors of color components to (b) all pixels in a corresponding one of the candidates,

said similarity calculation unit is configured to calculate, for the each color, (a) the similarity regarding the first combination and (b) the similarity regarding the second combination, (a) the similarity regarding the first combination being indicated higher as a frequency of the each color in the normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate is more similar to a frequency of the each color in the normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, and (b) the similarity regarding the second combination being indicated higher as a frequency of the each color in the normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate is more similar to a frequency of the each color in the normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate, and

said selection unit is configured to select a combination from the first and second combinations, the selected combination having the similarity lower than the similarity of the combination not selected.

8. An image processing method of extracting an object from an image, said method comprising:

designating a position on the image that is received;

setting a first combination and a second combination that is different from the first combination based on the position designated in said designating, the first combination consisting of a first object region candidate and a first background region candidate, and the second combination consisting of a second object region candidate and a second background region candidate;

generating a normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate, and a normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate;

calculating (a) a similarity regarding the first combination and (b) a similarity regarding the second combination, (a) the similarity regarding the first combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, and (b) the similarity regarding the second combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate; and

selecting a combination from the first and second combinations based on the similarities calculated in said calculating, the selected combination having the similarity lower than the similarity of the combination not selected.

9. A computer-readable storage medium on which a program for performing image processing to extract an object from an image is stored computer-readably,

the program causing a computer to execute:

designating a position on the image that is received;

setting a first combination and a second combination that is different from the first combination based on the position designated in said designating, the first combination consisting of a first object region candidate and a first background region candidate, and the second combination consisting of a second object region candidate and a second background region candidate;

generating a normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, a normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate, and a normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate;

calculating (a) a similarity regarding the first combination and (b) a similarity regarding the second combination, (a) the similarity regarding the first combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the first object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the first background region candidate, and (b) the similarity regarding the second combination being a similarity between the normalized color histogram of the second object region candidate and the normalized color histogram of the second background region candidate; and

selecting a combination from the first and second combinations based on the similarities calculated in said calculating, the selected combination having the similarity lower than the similarity of the combination not selected.