IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, DISPLAY STATE DETERMINATION APPARATUS, AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20160379052A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SAWADA, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/462 Salient features, e.g. scale invariant feature transforms [SIFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, an image processing apparatus which is accessible to at least one storage device, the apparatus includes a decision unit, a generation unit and a determination unit. The decision unit estimates a separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf. The decision unit decides a search distance, based on the separation distance. The generation unit generates a template image by converting a number of pixels of single item image acquired by photographing the product as a single piece and stored in the storage device, with a magnification corresponding to a ratio between the search distance and a known photographing distance. The determination unit determines an area, which is similar to the template image, within a shelf image stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus which is accessible to at least one storage device storing a shelf image acquired by photographing, by a first camera, a display shelf for displaying a product, and an single item image acquired by photographing the product as a single piece with a known photographing distance, the apparatus comprising:

a decision unit configured to estimate a separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf, and to decide a search distance, based on the separation distance;

a generation unit configured to generate a template image by converting a number of pixels of the single item image stored in the storage device, with a magnification corresponding to a ratio between the search distance decided by the decision unit and the known photographing distance; and

a determination unit configured to determine an area, which is similar to the template image, within the shelf image captured by the first camera and stored in the storage device.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decision unit is configured to:

estimate, with respect to each of pixels constituting the shelf image captured by the first camera, a distance from the first camera to an object which the pixel represents, and

set, when each of differences between distances of neighboring pixels of a plurality of pixels, which are consecutive in a horizontal direction over a prescribed number of pixels or more, is less than a tolerable difference value, a representative value of the distances of the plurality of pixels to be the separation distance.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit is configured to:

generate an equidistance image which indicates a pixel value in the shelf image captured by the first camera, with respect to a pixel of the shelf image, which has the distance estimated by the decision unit that is equal to the search distance, and indicates a preset pixel value with respect to the other pixels of the shelf image, and

determine an area in the equidistance image, which is similar to the template image.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one storage device is configured to store a plurality of shelf images acquired by simultaneously photographing the display shelf by the first camera and a second camera, and

the decision unit is configured to estimate the separation distance, based on two shelf images stored in the storage device, which were captured in mutually different directions by the first and second cameras.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the decision unit is configured to:

estimate, with respect to each of pixels constituting the shelf image captured by the first camera, a distance from the first camera to an object which the pixel represents, and

set, when each of differences between distances of neighboring pixels of a plurality of pixels, which are consecutive in a horizontal direction over a prescribed number of pixels or more, is less than a tolerable difference value, a representative value of the distances of the plurality of pixels to be the separation distance.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit is configured to:

generate an equidistance image which indicates a pixel value in the shelf image captured by the first camera, with respect to a pixel of the shelf image, which has the distance estimated by the decision unit that is equal to the search distance, and indicates a preset pixel value with respect to the other pixels of the shelf image, and

determine an area in the equidistance image, which is similar to the template image.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decision unit is configured to estimate the separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf, and to decision the separation distance to be the search distance as such.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a setup unit configured to set up an adjustment value in accordance with an instruction by a user,

wherein the decision unit is configured to estimate the separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf, and to decision the search distance by adjusting the separation distance by the adjustment value which was set by the setup unit.

9. A display state determination apparatus comprising:

a first camera;

at least one storage device storing a shelf image acquired by photographing, by the first camera, a display shelf for displaying a product, and an single item image acquired by photographing the product as a single piece with a known photographing distance;

a decision unit configured to estimate a separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf, and to decision a search distance, based on the separation distance;

a generation unit configured to generate a template image by converting a number of pixels of the single item image stored in the storage device, with a magnification corresponding to a ratio between the search distance determined by the decision unit and the known photographing distance; and

a determination unit configured to determine an area, which is similar to the template image, within the shelf image captured by the first camera and stored in the storage device.

10. An image processing method by a computer included in an image processing apparatus which is accessible to at least one storage device storing a shelf image acquired by photographing, by a first camera, a display shelf for displaying a product, and an single item image acquired by photographing the product as a single piece with a known photographing distance, the method comprising:

estimating a separation distance from the first camera to the display shelf, and determining a search distance, based on the separation distance;

generating a template image by converting a number of pixels of the single item image stored in the storage device, with a magnification corresponding to a ratio between the search distance determined by the decision unit and the known photographing distance; and

determining an area, which is similar to the template image, within the shelf image captured by the first camera and stored in the storage device.