Composite still-image creating device capable of creating a still image from moving images

• US 7,893,968 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2010
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Hosoda, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson; Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US12/756,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 348/220.1, 348/218.1, 375/240.16, 375/240.12, 345/629
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing

Abstract

Each of the frames forming moving images is decoded in sequence and while a candidate frame is decoded, a decision is made as to whether or not the motion vector variable-length decoded for each macroblock is greater than a threshold, so that if the motion vector is greater than the threshold, the decoded image of the corresponding block is decided as a partial image forming a subject portion that had motion in the candidate frame and then combined with a base image stored in a still memory in a combining unit, whereby, by repeating this process, a composite still image which allows the motion of the subject to be grasped visually is created in the still memory.

Claims

1. A composite still image creation device comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires moving image data coded using an interframe predictive coding process, the moving image data including motion vector data;

an extraction unit which extracts the motion vector data from the moving image data acquired by the acquisition unit;

a selection unit which selects a partial image in a frame image included in the moving image data based on the motion vector data extracted by the extraction unit;

a combining unit which combines partial images selected by the selection unit to form a still image;

a calculation unit which calculates frame motion vector data indicating a tendency of overall motion of the regions of the frame image, based on the respective motion vector data of the regions in one frame image; and

a correction unit which, based on the frame motion vector data calculated by the calculation unit, corrects a combined position with respect to the still image formed by the combining unit.

2. A composite still image creation device comprising:

means for acquiring moving image data coded using an interframe predictive coding process, the moving image data including motion vector data;

means for extracting the motion vector data from the moving image data acquired by the acquisition means;

means for selecting a partial image in a frame image included in the moving image data based on the motion vector data extracted by the extraction means;

means for combining partial images selected by the selection means to form a still image;

means for calculating frame motion vector data indicating a tendency of overall motion of the regions of the frame image, based on the respective motion vector data of the regions in one frame image; and

means for correcting, based on the frame motion vector data calculated by the calculation means, a combined position with respect to the still image formed by the combining means.

3. A composite still image creation method comprising:

operating a still image creation device to acquire moving image data coded using an interframe predictive coding process, the moving image data including motion vector data;

extracting the motion vector data from the acquired moving image data;

selecting a partial image in a frame image included in the moving image data based on the extracted motion vector data;

combining the selected partial images to form a still image;

calculating frame motion vector data indicating a tendency of overall motion of the regions of the frame image, based on the respective motion vector data of the regions in one frame image; and

correcting, based on the calculated frame motion vector data, a combined position with respect to the still image which is formed by combining the selected partial images.

4. A recording storage medium storing a computer program which is executable by a computer to function as:

means for acquiring moving image data coded using an interframe predictive coding process, the moving image data including motion vector data;

means for extracting the motion vector data from the moving image data acquired by the acquisition means;

means for selecting a partial image in a frame image included in the moving image data based on the motion vector data extracted by the extraction means;

means for combining partial images selected by the selection means to form a still image;

means for calculating frame motion vector data indicating a tendency of overall motion of the regions of the frame image, based on the respective motion vector data of the regions in one frame image; and

means for correcting, based on the frame motion vector data calculated by the calculation means, a combined position with respect to the still image formed by the combining means.