Image-processing device and image-processing method, image-pickup device, and computer program

• US 8,208,690 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokuse, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, SATHYANARAYA V
• Application Number:
  US13/232,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 382/112
• US Class Current: 382/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

An image-processing device configured to process image data including at least one face image includes an image-input unit configured to input the image data, a face-detection unit configured to detect the at least one face image from an image frame of the input image data, an importance-determination unit configured to determine importance of each of the at least one detected face image, and a priority-determination unit configured to determine priority of each of the at least one detected face image based on the determined importance. The importance-determination unit determines the importance considering data on the size and position of the detected face image shown in the image frame, and a priority determined by the last time by the priority-determination unit.

Claims

1. An image-processing apparatus comprising:

a subject-detection unit configured to detect at least one subject image from inputted image data;

an importance-determination unit configured to determine an importance of the at least one detected subject image; and

a priority-determination unit configured to determine and output a priority of the at least one detected subject image based on the determined importance,

wherein the importance-determination unit is further configured to determine the importance based on a priority previously determined by the priority-determination unit, the previously determined priority being based on an importance previously determined by the importance-determination unit.

2. The image-processing device according to claim 1,

wherein an image-input unit inputs video, as the image data, and

wherein the importance-determination unit determines the importance based further on a speed with which the detected subject image moves in the video.

3. The image-processing device according to claim 1, wherein the importance-determination unit assigns a higher priority to a detected subject image near a center of an image frame.

4. The image-processing device according to claim 2, wherein the importance-determination unit determines the importance in order of the speed with which the detected subject image moves in the video, a size of the detected subject image shown in an image frame, and a position of the detected subject image shown in the image frame.

5. The image-processing device according to claim 1, wherein the importance-determination unit assigns a higher priority to a detected subject image near a lower end of an image frame.

6. The image-processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of subject images are produced in an image frame, the importance-determination unit assigns a higher priority to the detected subject image near a barycenter of each of the subject images.

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

a face-recognition unit configured to recognize each of at least one detected face image,

wherein the importance-determination unit assigns a higher priority to the detected face image corresponding to a person recognized by the face-recognition unit.

8. An image-processing method comprising:

detecting at least one subject image from inputted image data;

determining an importance of each of the at least one detected subject image; and

determining and outputting a priority of the at least one detected subject image based on the determined importance,

wherein, at the importance-determining step, further determining the importance based on a priority previously determined, the previously determined priority being based on an importance previously determined, at the importance-determination step.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that includes instructions which when executed on a computer causes the computer to execute a method comprising:

detecting at least one subject image from inputted image data;

determining an importance of each of the at least one detected subject image; and

determining and outputting a priority of the at least one detected subject image based on the determined importance,

wherein, at the importance-determining step, further determining the importance based on a priority previously determined, the previously determined priority being based on an importance previously determined, at the importance-determination step.