Image processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program

• US 7,184,606 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takano, Hiroaki, Nakanishi, Toshiaki, Shindo, Mitsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Mathew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US10/316,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/118, 382/151, 382/255, 382/278, 382/282, 382/286, 382/291, 396/80, 396/87, 396/326, 396/383
• US Class Current: 382/255
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus, the head top of a subject is detected, and the positions of a camera and a mirror are adjusted so that the coordinates of the detected head top coincide with the coordinates of a reference head top. When it is determined that the coordinates coincide with each other, the image size of a face of the subject is detected, and the zoom of the camera is controlled so that the detected image size and a reference image size coincide with each other. When it is determined that the image size of the face and the reference image size coincide, the positions of the camera and the mirror are adjusted again so that the coordinates of the head top of the subject and the coordinates of the reference head top coincide with each other.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image-taking unit for taking an image of a subject;

a first detecting unit for detecting the head top of the image of the subject taken by said image-taking unit;

a first judgment unit for comparing the head top detected by said first detecting unit and first reference data to determine whether the detected head top coincides with the first reference data;

a second detecting unit for detecting the image size of a predetermined portion of the image of the subject;

a second judgment unit for comparing the image size detected by said second detecting unit with second reference data to determine whether the detected image size coincides with the second reference data; and

a control unit for controlling an image-taking position of said image-taking unit on the basis of results of the determinations by said first and second judgment units.

2. An image processing apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a sensing unit for sensing the subject,

wherein said image-taking unit takes the image of the subject when the subject is sensed by said sensing unit.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit for storing the first and second reference data.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display control unit for controlling the display of the image of the subject taken by said image-taking unit.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a printing unit for printing the image of the subject taken by said image-taking unit when said first and second judgement units determine that the detected head top and the first reference data coincide with each other, and that the detected image size and the second reference data coincide with each other.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second detecting unit detects the lateral size of a face of the subject.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts the position of at least one of a camera and a mirror.

8. An image processing method comprising:

an image-taking step of taking an image of a subject with an image-taking unit;

a first detecting step of detecting the head top of the image of the subject taken in said image-taking step;

a first judgment step of comparing the head top detected in said first detecting step and first reference data to determine whether the detected head top coincides with the first reference data;

a second detecting step of detecting the image size of a predetermined portion of the image of the subject;

a second judgment step of comparing the image size detected in said second detecting step with second reference data to determine whether the detected image size coincides with the second reference data; and

a control step of controlling an image-taking position of said image-taking unit on the basis of results of the determinations in said first and second judgment steps.

9. A recording medium having a computer-readable program recorded therein, wherein said program comprises:

an image-taking step of taking an image of a subject with an image-taking unit;

a first detecting step of detecting the head top of the image of the subject taken in said image-taking step;

a first judgment step of comparing the head top detected in said first detecting step and first reference data to determine whether the detected head top coincides with the first reference data;

a second detecting step of detecting the image size of a predetermined portion of the image of the subject;

a second judgment step of comparing the image size detected in said second detecting step with second reference data to determine whether the detected image size coincides with the second reference data; and

a control step of controlling an image-taking position of said image-taking unit on the basis of results of the determinations in said first and second judgment steps.

10. A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program that executes steps, wherein said steps comprises:

an image-taking step of taking an image of a subject with an image-taking unit;

a first detecting step of detecting the head top of the image of the subject taken in said image-taking step;

a first judgment step of comparing the head top detected in said first detecting step and first reference data to determine whether the detected head top coincides with the first reference data;

a second detecting step of detecting the size of a predetermined portion of the image of the subject;

a second judgment step of comparing the image size detected in said second detecting step with second reference data to determine whether the detected image size coincides with the second reference data; and

a control step of controlling an image-taking position of said image-taking unit on the basis of results of the determinations in said first and second judgment steps.