Image generating apparatus and method

• US 6,988,244 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2000
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Honda, Fumitaka, Kondo, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/571,427
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/39, 725/56, 725/57, 348/564, 348/588, 345/721, 345/731, 345/776, 345/723, 715/721, 715/731, 715/723, 715/776
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An index picture as a still picture obtained by summarizing the contents of a moving picture, which is generated by using a video browser technique can be formed in various modes. A plurality of kinds of generating modes for generating an index picture by summarizing the contents of a moving picture are prepared, any of the modes is selected, and a generating process is performed in the selected mode. It enables an index picture to be generated in a proper form according to the property, use, and the like of a moving picture material.

Claims

1. An image generating apparatus comprising index picture generating means for generating an index picture as a still picture representing the contents of a moving picture in a summarized form by combining parts each of which is taken from each of a plurality of still pictures arranged in time sequence so as to construct the moving picture,

wherein the index picture generating means has the function of extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures in a plurality of different modes and generating an index picture according to each mode on the basis of the extracted parts, and

wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a partial image elongated in the vertical direction from each of the plurality of still pictures.

2. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a part from a limited area of each of the plurality of still pictures.

3. The image generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the limited area is a central area in each of the plurality of still pictures.

4. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index picture forming means further has a function of extracting some of the plurality of still pictures and using the extracted still pictures also as index pictures.

5. An image generating apparatus comprising index picture generating means for generating an index picture as a still picture representing the contents of a moving picture in a summarized form by combining parts each of which is taken from each of a plurality of still pictures arranged in time sequence so as to construct the moving picture,

wherein the index picture generating means has the function of extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures in a plurality of different modes and generating an index picture according to each mode on the basis of the extracted parts, and

wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a partial image elongated in the horizontal direction from each of the plurality of still pictures.

6. The image generating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a part from a limited area of each of the plurality of still pictures.

7. The image generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the limited area is a central area in each of the plurality of still pictures.

8. The image generating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the index picture forming means further comprises a fiction of extracting some of the plurality of still pictures and using the extracted still pictures as index pictures.

9. An image generating method for generating an index picture as a still picture representing the contents of a moving picture in a summarized form by combining parts taken from each of a plurality of still pictures arranged in time sequence so as to construct the moving picture, comprising the steps of:

selecting any of a plurality of different modes for extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures;

extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures in accordance with the selected mode; and

generating an index picture by combining the extracted parts,

wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a partial image elongated in the vertical direction from each of the plurality of still pictures.

10. The image generating method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a part from a limited area of each of the plurality of still pictures.

11. The image generating method according to claim 10, wherein the limited area is a central area in ach of the plurality of still pictures.

12. The image generating method according to claim 9,

wherein some of the plurality of still pictures are extracted and used as index pictures.

13. An image generating method for generating an index picture as a still picture representing the contents of a moving picture in a summarized form by combining parts taken from each of a plurality of still pictures arranged in time sequence so as to construct the moving picture, comprising the steps of:

selecting any of a plurality of different modes for extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures;

extracting a part from each of the plurality of still pictures in accordance with the selected mode; and

generating an index picture by combining the extracted parts, wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a partial image elongated in the horizontal direction from each of the plurality of still pictures.

14. The image generating method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of different modes include a mode of extracting a part from a limited area of each of the plurality of still pictures.

15. The image generating method according to claim 14, wherein the limited area is a central area in each of the plurality of still pictures.

16. The image generating method according to claim 13, wherein the index picture forming means further comprises a function of extracting some of the plurality of still pictures and using the extracted still pictures as index pictures.