Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium

• US 7,340,097 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Tetsujiro, Shiraki, Hisakazu, Nakaya, Hideo, Okumura, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): MARIAM, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US11/144,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20050226504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/151, 382/173, 382/190, 382/199, 382/282, 382/291, 382/294, 382/305, 382/311
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20101 Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an object extracting unit, a selecting unit, and an object storing unit. The object extracting unit extracts an object from a target image through a plurality of processing, and outputs the result of extracting the object. The selecting unit selects at least a part of the result of extracting the object which is obtained through the plurality of processing, in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation. The object storing means stores the result of extracting the object which is selected by the selecting unit.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an object extracting unit configured to extract a single object from a target image through a plurality processing, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

an output unit configured to output the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

a selecting unit configured to select one result out of the outputted results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation; and

an object storing unit configured to store the selected result.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selecting unit selects a part of one result out of the results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation.

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

a determining unit configured to determine a plurality of processing methods by using said object extracting unit,

wherein said object extracting unit extracts the single object from the target image through a plurality of processing determined by said determining unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said determining unit determines a plurality of processing methods for extracting the single object from the target image based on a designated position of the target image, which is designated by the user.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the user designates a position of the target image, under the control of said determining unit, said object extracting unit

separates pixels in the target image into a plurality of components,

generates edge images of component images,

outputs areas, as the object, which are separated by edges of the edge images including a target pixel corresponding to the designated position which is designated by the user.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the user designates a rank of the results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing, said determining unit determines the plurality of processing methods based on the rank.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a processing history storing unit configured to store a processing history as a processing method corresponding to the result of extracting the single object, when the result of extracting the single object selected by said selecting unit is stored in said object storing unit,

wherein said determining unit determines a plurality of processing methods for extracting the single object from the target image based on the processing history of a before-image stored in said processing history storing unit, which is processed before the target image.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said object extracting unit separates the pixels in the target image into a plurality of components,

generates edge images in component images of components,

binarizes the edge images by using a predetermined threshold and outputs the binarized image, and

outputs the result of extracting the single object every binarized image,

said processing history storing unit comprises:

a designated position storing unit configured to store the designated position of the target image designated by the user;

a history image storing unit configured to store, as a pixel value, an identifier associated with the threshold and the component corresponding to at least a part of the single object selected by said selecting unit; and

a table unit configured to store the identifier, the component, and the threshold with a corresponding relationship thereof,

said apparatus further comprises a motion detecting unit configured to detect corresponding coordinates of the before-image at the designated position by motion detection at the designated position to the target image, between the target image and the before-image, and,

said object extracting unit detects the identifier of said history image storing unit corresponding to the corresponding coordinates, and also

detects the threshold and the component in said table unit, corresponding to the identifier detected,

generates the edge image in the component image of the component,

outputs the edge image, as the binarized image, based on a plurality of thresholds generated from the threshold, and

outputs the result of extracting the single object every binarized image.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when extracting the single object from the target image based on the processing history of the before-image which is processed before the target image, said processing history storing unit succeeds the processing history of the before-image to the single object extracted from the target image.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display the results of extracting the single object outputted from said output unit on a plurality of screens.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said selecting unit comprises a pointing device capable of designating a predetermined position of the single object in the plurality of screens displayed on said display unit.

12. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an object extracting unit configured to extract a single object from a target image through a plurality processing, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

an output unit configured to output the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

a selecting unit configured to select one result out of the outputted results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

a processing history storing means for storing unit configured to store a processing history as a history of a processing method associated with the selected result; and

a determining unit configured to determine a processing method for extracting the single object from the target image based on the processing history stored in said processing history storing unit,

wherein said object extracting unit extracts the single object from a target image based on the processing method determined by said determining unit.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said processing history storing unit stores the processing history extracted by said object extracting unit for each object.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said determining unit determines the processing method for extracting the single object from the target image based on the designated position in the target image designated by the user.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said processing history storing unit comprises a designated position storing unit configured to store the position in the target image, which is designated by the user.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said determining unit determines a plurality of processing methods for extracting the single object from the target image based on the designated position, of a before-image stored in said designated position storing unit, which is processed before the target image.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when extracting the single object from the target image based on the processing history of the before-image, said processing history storing unit succeeds the processing history of the before-image to the single object extracted from the target image.

18. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

extracting a single object from a target image through a plurality of processing and outputting the result of extracting the single object, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

outputting the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

selecting one result out of the result of the outputted results of extracting the single object which is obtained through the plurality of processing, in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation; and

storing the selected result of extracting the single object.

19. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

extracting a single object from a target image through a plurality processing, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

outputting the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

selecting one result out of the outputted results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation;

storing a processing history as a history of the determined processing method;

extracting the single object from the target image based on the determined processing method; and

determining the processing method for extracting the single object from the target image based on the stored processing history.

20. A computer readable medium for storing an image processing program, wherein said program comprises the steps of:

extracting a single object from a target image through a plurality of processing and outputting the result of extracting the single object, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

outputting the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

selecting one result out of the result of the outputted results of extracting the single object which is obtained through the plurality of processing, in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation; and

storing the selected result of extracting the single object.

21. A computer readable medium for storing an image processing program, wherein said program comprises the steps of:

extracting a single object from a target image through a plurality processing, wherein the plurality of processing includes different processing steps;

outputting the results of extracting the single object simultaneously;

selecting one result out of the outputted results of extracting the single object through the plurality of processing in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation;

storing a processing history as a history of the determined processing method;

extracting the single object from the target image based on the determined processing method; and

determining the processing method for extracting the object from the target image based on the stored processing history.