Image reproducing apparatus, image reproducing method, image capturing apparatus, and control method therefor

• US 8,903,222 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyakoshi, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, EILEEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/524,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20100092151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image reproducing apparatus, an image reproducing method, an image capturing apparatus, and a control method therefor. In the present invention, in order to reproduce an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than a preset image rate, an image signal to be reproduced is supplied to a signal processing unit that converts an image signal into the preset image rate, and the image rate of this image signal to be reproduced is controlled on the basis of reproduction control information generated using a motion detection result of the captured image to reduce the reproduction speed of the captured image in accordance with an increase in motion detected. An image signal of a slow motion reproduction image is output.

Claims

1. An image reproducing apparatus comprising:

a signal reproducing unit that reproduces an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than a preset image rate;

a reproduction control information generating unit that generates reproduction control information using a motion detection result obtained by performing motion detection using the image signal output from the signal reproducing unit;

a signal processing unit that converts an image rate of the image signal output from the signal reproducing unit into the preset image rate by combining frames of the image signal; and

a control unit that controls the image rate of the image signal supplied from the signal reproducing unit to the signal processing unit on the basis of the reproduction control information to reduce a reproduction speed of the captured image in accordance with an increase in motion indicated by the motion detection result,

wherein the control unit sets weighting coefficients for respective frames of the image signal based on the motion detection result, and the signal processing unit combines the frames according to the weighting coefficients, and

wherein the respective frames of the image signal are weighted with at least one of at least two weighting coefficients.

2. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction control information generating unit determines a recommended reproduction speed from a motion amount of a motion vector obtained by performing the motion detection, and sets the recommended reproduction speed as the reproduction control information.

3. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction control information generating unit determines the recommended reproduction speed on the basis of a result of comparison between a difference in motion amount between a region of a center portion of the captured image and a remaining region of the captured image and a preset threshold value.

4. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an expansion processing unit that performs an expansion process on the image signal in a case where the image signal is an image signal that has been subjected to a compression process using a motion vector obtained by performing motion detection,

wherein the reproduction control information generating unit generates the reproduction control information using the motion vector used in the expansion process.

5. The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a signal recording unit that records, on a recording medium, an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than the preset image rate,

wherein the reproduction control information generating unit generates the reproduction control information using the image signal recorded on the signal recording unit,

wherein the signal recording unit records the reproduction control information generated by the reproduction control information generating unit on the recording medium in association with the image signal,

wherein the signal reproducing unit reproduces the image signal and the reproduction control information, and wherein the control unit controls an image rate of an image signal output from the signal reproducing unit on the basis of the reproduction control information reproduced by the signal reproducing unit.

6. An image reproducing method comprising:

reproducing an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than a preset image rate;

generating reproduction control information using a motion detection result obtained by performing motion detection using the image signal;

converting an image rate of the image signal into the preset image rate by combining frames of the image signal;

controlling the image rate of the image signal on the basis of the reproduction control information to reduce a reproduction speed of the captured image in accordance with an increase in motion detected in the motion detection result; and

setting weighting coefficients for respective frames of the image signal based on the motion detection result, wherein the frames are combined according to the weighting coefficients, and

wherein the respective frames of the image signal are weighted with at least one of at least two weighting coefficients.

7. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit that generates an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than a preset image rate;

a reproduction control information generating unit that generates, using a motion detection result obtained by performing motion detection using the image signal generated by the image capturing unit, reproduction control information for reducing a reproduction speed of the captured image in accordance with an increase in motion detected in the motion detection during reproduction of the image signal, wherein the reproduction control information generating unit sets weighting coefficients for respective frames of the image signal based on the motion detection result, and the respective frames of the image signal are weighted with at least one of at least two weighting coefficients; and

an output unit that outputs the reproduction control information in correspondence with the image signal.

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the reproduction control information generating unit determines a recommended reproduction speed from a motion amount of a motion vector obtained by performing the motion detection, and sets the recommended reproduction speed as the reproduction control information.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reproduction control information generating unit determines the recommended reproduction speed on the basis of a result of comparison between a difference in motion amount between a region of a center portion of the captured image and a remaining region of the captured image and a preset threshold value.

10. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a signal processing unit that converts the image signal generated by the image capturing unit into the preset image, rate,

wherein the reproduction control information generating unit performs the motion detection using the image signal converted into the preset image rate by the signal processing unit.

11. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an image compression unit that compresses an amount of signal of the image signal using a motion detection result obtained by performing motion detection using the image signal,

wherein the reproduction control information generating unit generates the reproduction control information using the motion detection result obtained by the image compression unit.

12. A control method for an image capturing apparatus, comprising:

generating an image signal of a captured image that is generated by performing image capture at an image rate higher than a preset image rate;

generating, using a motion detection result obtained by performing motion detection using the image signal, reproduction control information for reducing a reproduction speed of the captured image in accordance with an increase in motion detected in the motion detection during reproduction of the image signal;

setting weighting coefficients for respective frames of the image signal based on the motion detection result, wherein the respective frames of the image signal are weighted with at least one of at least two weighting coefficients; and

outputting the reproduction control information in correspondence with the image signal.