Image processing apparatus, image apparatus, image processing method, and program for analyzing an input image of a camera

• US 9,342,896 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Seo, Koichiro, Nagataki, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US12/453,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 348/46, 348/143, 348/169, 348/207.1, 348/220.1, 348/452, 348/586, 348/152, 348/155, 396/427, 396/428, 382/103, 382/107, 382/118, 382/170, 382/236, 382/308, 375/240.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/215 Motion-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus including: a detection section configured to detect a motion area in a screen based on images taken, and output detection information; an accumulation section configured to accumulate the detection information for the past as outputted from the detection section; an area division section configured to divide the screen into an area where motions regularly occur and a motion-free area, based on the detection information for the past as accumulated in the accumulation section, and output area information; and an alarm management section configured to perform particular control based on the area information from the area division section and the detection information from the detection section.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory storing program code executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting moving objects in a plurality of image data as detection information;

updating detection information history based on the detection information;

accumulating the detection information history for each of the plurality of image data as area coordinates for position information of motion in each frame and as binary information for frequency of motion in each frame, the binary information having an upper limit;

analyzing the detection information history by dividing the plurality of image data into a motion area and a non-motion area based on the detection information;

outputting final motion information based on a detection result and area information; and

masking the detection result when motion is detected in the motion area.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retaining final motion information if a target block corresponds to the non-motion area.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise erasing portions of the detection information for the detection information history when a specified condition is met.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specified condition includes a passing of a specified period of time since last erasure.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles,

the operations further comprise outputting an erasure signal, when a change in the photographing angle is detected based on angle information, and

upon outputting of the erasure signal, discarding a part of the detection information history.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing a switching process in accordance with angle information, wherein

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles,

a number of the different photographing angles corresponds to a separate one of N angles, where N is a natural number, and

accumulating the detection information and input of the detection information history to the area division section appropriately while switching between the N independent accumulation sections in accordance with the angle information.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, the operations further comprising outputting image data to the detection section after acquiring images based on control from an outside.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code, the program code being executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting moving objects in a plurality of image data as detection information;

updating detection information history based on the detection information;

accumulating the detection information history for each of the plurality of image data as area coordinates for position information of motion in each frame and as binary information for frequency of motion in each frame, the binary information having an upper limit;

analyzing the detection information history by dividing the plurality of image data into a motion area and a non-motion area based on the detection information;

outputting final motion information based on a detection result and area information; and

masking the detection result when motion is detected in the motion area.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising retaining final motion information if a target block corresponds to the non-motion area.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising erasing portions of the detection information for the detection information history when a specified condition is met.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the specified condition includes a passing of a specified period of time since last erasure.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein,

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles,

generating an erasure signal when a change in the photographing angle is detected based on angle information, and

discarding a part of the detection information history based on the erasure signal.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising:

performing a switching process in accordance with angle information, wherein,

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles,

a number of different photographing angles accumulation corresponding to a separate one of N angles, where N is a natural number; and

accumulating of the detection information and updating the detection information history based on the number of different photographing angles.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, further comprising generating image data after acquiring images based on control from an outside.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting moving objects in a plurality of image data as detection information;

updating detection information history based on the detection information;

accumulating the detection information history for each of the plurality of image data as area coordinates for position information of motion in each frame and as binary information for frequency of motion in each frame, the binary information having an upper limit;

analyzing the detection information history by dividing the plurality of image data into a motion area and a non-motion area based on the detection information;

outputting final motion information based on a detection result and area information; and

masking the detection result when motion is detected in the motion area.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising retaining final motion information if a target block corresponds to the non-motion area.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising erasing portions of the detection information for the detection information history when a specified condition is met.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the specified condition includes a passing of a specified period of time since last erasure.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles,

generating an erasure signal when a change in the photographing angle is detected based on angle information, and

discarding a part of the detection information history based on the erasure signal.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

performing a switching process in accordance with angle information, wherein

the plurality of image data includes images taken from different photographing angles, a number of different photographing angles accumulation corresponding to a separate one of N angles, where N is a natural number; and

accumulating of the detection information and updating the detection information history based on the number of different photographing angles.

21. The method according to claim 15, further comprising generating image data after acquiring images based on control from an outside.