IMAGE PROCESSOR, DETECTION APPARATUS, LEARNING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20180101741A1
• Filed: 09/23/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ARAI, YUKO, ARATA, KOJI
• Granted Patent: US 10,417,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/3015 Optical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2321 using statistics or function optimisation, e.g. modelling of probability density functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20076 Probabilistic image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20081 Training; Learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/344 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/35 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/32 Normalisation of the pattern dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/11 Hand-related biometrics; Hand pose recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof

Abstract

An image processor includes an image converter. The image converter transforms data of an image that is photographed with a camera for photographing a seat, based on a transformation parameter that is calculated in accordance with a camera-position at which the camera is disposed. The image converter outputs the thus-transformed data of the image. The transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that an appearance of the seat depicted in the image is approximated to a predetermined appearance of the seat.

Claims

1. An image processor comprising an image converter configured to transform data of an image photographed with a camera for photographing a seat, based on a transformation parameter which is calculated in accordance with a camera-position at which the camera is disposed, the image converter further configured to output the transformed data of the image,

wherein the transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that an appearance of the seat depicted in the image is approximated to a predetermined appearance of the seat.

2. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising a transformation-parameter memory configured to store the transformation parameter,

wherein the image converter acquires the transformation parameter from the transformation-parameter memory.

3. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising a transformation-parameter receiver configured to acquire the transformation parameter from an outside,

wherein the image converter acquires the transformation parameter from the transformation-parameter receiver.

4. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that a coordinate of a predetermined point on the seat depicted in the image matches a predetermined coordinate.

5. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that an inclination of a line segment defined based on predetermined points on the seat depicted in the image matches a predetermined inclination.

6. The image processor according to claim 1,

wherein the transformation parameter is calculated in accordance with at least one of an angle of the seat and a position of the seat;

the image converter selects the transformation parameter based on both data of the camera-position at which the camera is disposed and data of at least one of an angle of the seat and a position of the seat, the angle of the seat and the position of the seat being determined at a time when the camera photographs the image; and

the image converter uses the selected transformation parameter for transforming the data of the image.

7. A detection apparatus, comprising:

the image processor according to claim 1, including the image converter configured to output the transformed data of the image depicting a predetermined state; and

a detector configured to detect the predetermined state, based on a learning model and a feature amount extracted from the transformed data.

8. The detection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an image receiver configured to acquire the data of the image photographed with the camera, and output the acquired data to image converter.

9. A learning apparatus comprising:

the image processor according to claim 1, including the image converter; and

a learning unit configured to create a learning model,

wherein the image converter is configured to;

acquire both data of a correct image depicting a first state of the seat and data of an incorrect image depicting a second state of the seat, the correct and incorrect images being photographed with the camera;

transform both the data of the correct image and the data of the incorrect image, based on the transformation parameter; and

output both the transformed data of the correct image and the transformed data of the incorrect image to the learning unit, and

wherein the learning unit creates the learning model based on a feature amount extracted from both the transformed data of the correct image and the transformed data of the incorrect image, the transformed data of the correct and incorrect images being output from the image converter.

10. The learning apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an image memory configured to store, in advance, the data of the correct image and the data of the incorrect image, and output the stored data of the correct image and the stored data of the incorrect image to the image converter.

11. The learning apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an image receiver configured to receive the data of the correct image and the data of the incorrect image from an outside, and output the received data of the correct image and the received data of the incorrect image to the image converter.

12. The learning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first state is a state of a person being seated in the seat, and the second state is a state of no person being seated in the seat.

13. A method of processing an image, the method comprising:

acquiring data of an image photographed with a camera for photographing a seat;

transforming the data of the image, based on a transformation parameter calculated in accordance with a camera-position at which the camera is disposed; and

outputting the transformed data of the image,

wherein the transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that an appearance of the seat depicted in the image is approximated to a predetermined appearance of the seat.

14. A nonvolatile storage medium storing an image processing program causing a computer to execute:

acquiring data of an image photographed with a camera for photographing a seat;

transforming the data of the image, based on a transformation parameter calculated in accordance with a camera-position at which the camera is disposed; and

outputting the transformed data of the image,

wherein the transformation parameter is a parameter for transforming the data of the image such that an appearance of the seat depicted in the image is approximated to a predetermined appearance of the seat.