Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program

• US 7,920,726 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okazaki, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEW, ALEX KOK SOON
• Application Number:
  US11/300,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 382/117, 382/118, 382141-151
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/895 in combination with error concealment

Abstract

An image processing method and apparatus for reproducing moving image data, the method and apparatus comprising detecting defects in receiving moving image data, determining the priority of each defect if there are a plurality of defects in at least one frame of the received moving image data, and performing interpolation for each defect based on the determined priority.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data, comprising:

a defect detecting unit configured to detect defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining unit configured to determine a priority of a first defect and a priority of a second defect according to a distance from center of a frame of the moving image data to each of positions of the first and second defects in the frame when the first and second defects are detected from the frame of the moving image data; and

an interpolation processing unit configured to perform interpolation of the first and second defects detected from the frame of the moving image data such that the first defect is interpolated and the second defect is not interpolated when the interpolation of the first defect which has the higher priority than the second defect can be completed within a time limit but the interpolation of both of the first and second defects cannot be completed within the time limit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a difficulty-level determining unit configured to determine a level of difficulty in performing interpolation for each of the defects, based on a size of a display area of the defect, such that the level of difficulty of the first defect corresponding to a first display area is higher than the level of difficulty of the second defect corresponding to a second display area smaller than the first display area,

wherein the priority determining unit determines the priority of the first and second defects based on the level of difficulty determined by the difficulty-level determining unit.

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

a time management unit configured to determine whether a timeout has occurred or not based on the time limit when the interpolation of the first defect is completed; and

a stop instructing unit configured to instruct the interpolation processing unit to stop performing the interpolation such that the second defect which has the lower priority than the first defect is not interpolated if the time management unit determines that the timeout has occurred when the interpolation of the first defect is completed.

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

a location determining unit configured to determine whether the location of a defect is the same as the location of an area interpolated in the preceding frame,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the determination by the location determining unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects.

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

a face detecting unit configured to detect, in the received moving image data, an area that is presumed to contain a human facial image,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the result of detection by the face detecting unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a focus detecting unit configured to detect, in the received moving image data, an area in focus,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the result of detection by the focus detecting unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency detecting unit configured to detect information related to a spatial frequency in an area including a defect in the received moving image data,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the result of detection by the frequency detecting unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an area detecting unit configured to detect a size of the display area of each defect,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the result of detection by the area detecting unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects such that the level of importance of the first defect is higher than the level of importance of the second defect of which the display size is smaller than the display size of the first defect.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a motion detecting unit configured to detect the amount of motion of an area including a defect by comparison between frames,

wherein the priority determining unit further uses the result of detection by the motion detecting unit to determine the priority of the first and second defects.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interpolation-method determining unit configured to determine an interpolation method for each of the first defect and the second defect,

wherein the priority determining unit determines a priority of the first defect and the second defect based on a performing time required for the interpolation method determined by the interpolation-method determining unit.

11. An image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data comprising:

a defect detecting unit configured to detect defects in received moving image data;

an interpolation-method determining unit configured to determine one or more interpolation methods for each defect;

a time determining unit configured to determine a performing time it takes to interpolate the defects by one or more interpolation methods determined by the interpolation-method determining unit; and

an interpolation-method changing unit configured to change at least one of the one or more interpolation methods determined by the interpolation-method determining unit to an interpolation method of which a performing time is shorter than a performing time of the one or more interpolation methods, based on the performing time determined by the time determining unit.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the time determining unit determines whether or not the interpolation performed by the one or more interpolation methods determined by the interpolation-method determining unit is completed within a time limit, and the interpolation-method changing unit changes at least one of the one or more interpolation methods determined by the interpolation-method determining unit to an interpolation method of which the performing time is shorter than the performing time of the one or more interpolation methods, in a case where the time determining unit determines that the interpolation performed by the one or more interpolation methods for each defect is not completed within the time limit.

12. An image processing method for an image processing apparatus configured to receive moving image data, the image processing method comprising:

a defect detecting step of detecting defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining step of determining a priority of a first defect and a priority of a second defect according to a distance from center of a frame of the moving image data to each of positions of the first and second defects in the frame when the first and second defects from the frame of the moving image data; and

an interpolation processing step of performing interpolation of the first and second defects detected from theme frame of the moving image data such that the first defect is interpolated and the second defect is not interpolated when the interpolation of the first defect which has the higher priority than the second defect can be completed within a time limit but the interpolation of both of the first and second defects cannot be completed within the time limit.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer configured to receive moving image data to execute an image processing method, the image processing method comprising:

a defect detecting step of detecting defects in received moving image data;

a priority determining step of determining a priority of a first defect and a priority of a second defect according to a distance from center of a frame of the moving image data to each of positions of the first and second defects in the frame when the first and second defects are detected from the frame of the moving image data; and

an interpolation processing step of performing interpolation of the first and second defects detected from the one frame of the moving image data such that the first defect is interpolated and the second defect is not interpolated when the interpolation of the first defect which has the higher priority than the second defect can be completed within a time limit but the interpolation of both of the first and second defects cannot be completed within the time limit.