Imaging apparatus, imaging method, image processing apparatus, and image processing method for a set execution condition

• US 9,041,828 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaneda, Yuji, Mori, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): CUTLER, ALBERT H
• Application Number:
  US13/207,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20120075500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

The present invention facilitates the setting of a condition for the execution of predetermined processing and enables the execution of processing conforming to a user'"'"'s intention. In an image processing apparatus, a predetermined object is detected in an image selected based on an instruction from a user, a determination is made regarding an attribute of the detected object, and the determined attribute is set as an execution condition used when executing predetermined processing on an image.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus that executes recording processing for recording an image captured by an imaging unit in a storage unit, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to, in a condition setting mode for setting an execution condition for the recording processing, acquire a plurality of sample images and configured to, in a recording mode for executing the recording processing, acquire a captured image;

a detection unit configured to, in the condition setting mode, detect objects from the plurality of sample images and configured to, in the recording mode for executing the recording processing, detect an object from the captured image;

an attribute determination unit configured to, in the condition setting mode, determine a type of common attribute which is common to at least a predetermined ratio of the objects detected from the plurality of acquired sample images and configured to, in the recording mode for executing the recording processing, determine an attribute of the object detected from the captured image;

a condition setting unit configured to, in the condition setting mode, set the determined type of common attribute as an execution condition for execution of the recording processing;

a condition determination unit configured to, in the recording mode for executing the recording processing, determine whether the attribute of the object detected from the captured image matches the determined type of common attribute which is set as the execution condition; and

an execution unit configured to record, in the recording mode, the captured image in a memory if the attribute of the object detected from the captured image matches the determined type of common attribute.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the attribute determination unit determines, in the condition setting mode, whether the object has a predetermined attribute by comparing a feature quantity indicating a feature of the detected object with a predetermined threshold value, and

the condition setting unit sets, in the condition setting mode, a result of the determination for the predetermined attribute as an execution condition for the recording processing.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute determination unit determines, in the condition setting mode, whether the object has each of a plurality of attributes by comparing a feature quantity indicating a feature of each of the plurality of attributes of the detected object with a predetermined threshold value corresponding to each of the plurality of attributes.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute determination unit determines, in the condition setting mode, corresponding attribute value from the feature quantity indicating the feature of the detected object and the condition setting unit further sets, in the condition setting mode, the attribute value or a predetermined range including the attribute value as an execution condition of the recording processing.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a change unit configured to change the execution condition for the recording processing that was set by the condition setting unit.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object is a person'"'"'s face and a person'"'"'s facial expression, at least one of a line of sight direction, a face orientation, an open/closed eye state, and a name are included as attributes.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in a case where a plurality of images have been displayed based on an instruction from a user, the condition setting unit sets, among the determined attributes, the common attribute that is common to each of the displayed images as the execution condition for the recording processing.

8. An imaging method in a recording apparatus that executes recording processing for recording an image captured by an imaging unit in a storage unit, comprising:

a first acquisition step of acquiring, in a condition setting mode for setting an execution condition for the recording processing, a plurality of sample images;

a first detection step of detecting, in the condition setting mode, objects from the plurality of sample images;

a first attribute determination step of determining, in the condition setting mode, a type of common attribute which is common to at least a predetermined ratio of the detected objects from the plurality of sample images;

a condition setting step of setting, in the condition setting mode, the determined type of common attribute as an execution condition for execution of the recording processing;

a second acquisition step of acquiring, in a recording mode for executing the recording processing, a captured image;

a second detection step of detecting, in the recording mode, an object from the captured image;

a second attribute determination step of determining, in the recording mode, an attribute of the object detected from the captured image;

a condition determination unit step of determining, in the recording mode, whether the attribute of the object detected from the captured image matches the determined type of common attribute which is set as the execution condition; and

an execution step of recording, in the recording mode, the captured image in a memory if the attribute of the object detected from the captured image matches the determined type of common attribute.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer readable program which, when executed by a processor, will cause a computer to execute the imaging method according to claim 8.