Image processing apparatus and method, and image processing system

• US 6,625,316 B1
• Filed: 06/01/1999
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Application Number:
  US09/323,254
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190, 382/195, 382/203, 382/224, 382/232, 382/199, 382/236, 382/248, 348/584, 348/586, 348/587, 348/588, 348/589, 348/155, 348/14.01, 358/1.2
• US Class Current: 382/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/20 Contour coding, e.g. using detection of edges
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/23 with coding of regions that are present throughout a whole video segment, e.g. sprites, background or mosaic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/14 Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

Of an object extracted from an image, it is difficult to separately process a main object and a secondary object, such as a shade, attached to the main object. If an object extracted from an image contains a plurality of objects, these objects are difficult to process as independent objects. In this invention, an object indicating a shade is separated from an object extracted from an image to thereby classify the object into a main object and a secondary object, and suitable image processing is performed for each of the main object and the secondary object. An object extracted from an image is separated on the basis of shape information of the object. The similarity of each separated object is measured in units of frames to obtain an interframe correlation. This increases the encoding efficiency.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

object extracting means for extracting at least one main object from an image;

secondary object generating means for generating a secondary object to be attached to the main object;

main object processing means for performing image processing for the main object; and

secondary object processing means for performing image processing for the secondary object,

wherein said apparatus further comprises main object encoding means for encoding the main object; and

said secondary object generating means generates the secondary object on the basis of shape information of the encoded main object.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said main object encoding means performs encoding by an MPEG-4 coding system.

3. An image processing system comprising:

an object encoding apparatus for extracting an object from an image and encoding the extracted object;

a background image encoding apparatus for receiving and encoding a background image; and

an image synthesizing apparatus for receiving, decoding, and synthesizing the object encoded by said object encoding apparatus and the background image encoded by said background encoding apparatus,

wherein said object encoding apparatus comprises;

extracting means for extracting at least one object from an image; and

main object encoding means for encoding a main object of the extracted object, and

said image synthesizing apparatus comprises;

secondary object generating means for generating a secondary object to be attached to the encoded main object on the basis of the encoded main object; and

image synthesizing means for synthesizing the main object and the secondary object with the background image,

wherein said secondary object generating means generates the secondary object on the basis of shape information of the encoded main object.

4. An image processing system comprising:

an object encoding apparatus for extracting an object from an image and encoding the extracted object;

a background image encoding apparatus for receiving and encoding a background image; and

an image synthesizing apparatus for receiving, decoding, and synthesizing the object encoded by said object encoding apparatus and the background image encoded by said background encoding apparatus,

wherein said object encoding apparatus comprises;

extracting means for extracting at least one object from an image; and

main object encoding means for encoding a main object of the extracted object, and

said image synthesizing apparatus comprises;

secondary object generating means for generating a secondary object to be attached to the encoded main object on the basis of the encoded main object; and

image synthesizing means for synthesizing the main object and the secondary object with the background image,

wherein said image synthesizing apparatus further comprises edit designating means for designating editing of the main object and the secondary object and performs image synthesis after editing the main object and the secondary object in accordance with the edit designation.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said edit designating means designates a shape and/or intensity by which the main object and the secondary object are synthesized.

6. An image processing method comprising:

an extracting step of extracting at least one main object from an image;

a secondary object generation step of generating a secondary object to be attached to the main object;

a main object pro step of performing image processing for the main object; and

a secondary object processing step of performing image processing for the secondary object,

wherein said method further comprises a main object encoding step of encoding the main object; and

said secondary object generation step generates the secondary object on the basis of shape information of the encoded main object.

7. An image processing method comprising:

an object encoding step of extracting an object from an image and encoding the extracted object;

a background encoding step of receiving and encoding a background image; and

an image synthesizing step of receiving, decoding and synthesizing the object encoded in said object encoding step and the background image encoded in said background encoding step,

wherein said object encoding step comprises;

an extracting step of extracting at least one object from an image; and

a main object encoding step of encoding a main object of the extracted object, and

said image synthesizing step comprises;

a secondary object generating step of generating a secondary object to be attached to the encoded main object on the basis of the encoded main object; and

an image synthesizing step of synthesizing the main object and the secondary object with the background image,

wherein said secondary object generating step generates the secondary object on the basis of shape information of the encoded main object.

8. An image processing method comprising:

an object encoding step of extracting an object from an image and encoding the extracted object;

a background encoding step of receiving and encoding a background image; and

an image synthesizing step of receiving, decoding, and synthesizing the object encoded in said object encoding step and the background image encoded in said background encoding step,

wherein said object encoding step comprises;

an extracting step of extracting at least one object from an image; and

a main object encoding step of encoding a main object of the extracted object, and

said image synthesizing step comprises;

a secondary object generating step of generating a secondary object to be attached to the encoded main object on the basis of the encoded main object;

an image synthesizing step of synthesizing the main object and the secondary object with the background image; and

an edit designating step of designating editing of the main object and the secondary object, wherein image synthesis is performed after editing the main object and the secondary object in accordance with the edit designation.