Dynamic image digest automatic editing system and dynamic image digest automatic editing method

• US 20060164702A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiiyama, Hirotaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/537
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612

Abstract

An image processing section 10 calculates degree of similarity among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data, determines scene-change frames based on the calculated degree of similarity, and performs automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging a specified duration of frames, giving priority to scenes whose scene-change frame has a low degree of similarity to an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames, or by merging, from scenes delimited by a scene change, a specified duration of frames having a degree of similarity in keeping with the user'"'"'s indication of whether or not a “little change digest” or a “much change digest” is to be prepared.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

calculating means for calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining means for determining scene-change frames based on the degree of similarity calculated by said calculating means; and

dynamic image preparation means for performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging a specified duration of frames having a low degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a dynamic digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.

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

detecting means for detecting blank scenes; and

exception processing means for performing exception processing in which an initial image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the beginning of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame.

5. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein said exception processing means also performs exception processing in which a final image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the end of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame.

7. The image processing system according to claim 5, wherein when a time duration for each scene-change frame of two scenes in close proximity is less than the specified duration, frame information from a scene-change frame of the first scene and frame information through a frame from the scene-change frame of the second scene are treated as the result of merging of the scene-change frames of the two scenes into one scene whose duration is equal to the specified duration.

9. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein when the duration of the scene-change frame of the second scene to be merged falls within a specified duration of the scene-change frame of the first scene, all the frame information of the scene-change frame of the second scene are merged with the scene-change frame of the first scene.

11. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

13. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

15. The image processing system according to claim 5, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

17. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

19. The image processing system according to claim 9, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

2. An image processing system comprising:

calculating means for calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining means for determining scene-change frames based on the degree of similarity calculated by said calculating means; and

dynamic image preparation means for performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging a specified duration of frames having a high degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a quiet digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.

4. The image processing system according to claim 2, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting blank scenes; and

exception processing means for performing exception processing in which an initial image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the beginning of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame.

6. The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein said exception processing means also performs exception processing in which a final image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the end of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame.

8. The image processing system according to claim 6, wherein when a time duration for each scene-change frame of two scenes in close proximity is less than the specified duration, frame information from a scene-change frame of the first scene and frame information through a frame from the scene-change frame of the second scene are treated as the result of merging of the scene-change frames of the two scenes into one scene whose duration is equal to the specified duration.

10. The image processing system according to claim 8, wherein when the duration of the scene-change frame of the second scene to be merged falls within a specified duration of the scene-change frame of the first scene, all the frame information of the scene-change frame of the second scene are merged with the scene change frame of the first scene.

12. The image processing system according to claim 2, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

14. The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

16. The image processing system according to claim 6, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

18. The image processing system according to claim 8, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

20. The image processing system according to claim 10, wherein a user is able to select and specify whether to save a digest as a file, or replay the digest and discard the data.

21. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining scene-change frames based on the calculated degree of similarity; and

performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging from each scene delimited by a scene change a specified duration of frames having a low degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a dynamic digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.

23. The image processing method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

detecting blank scenes; and

performing exception processing in which an initial image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the beginning of the dynamic image in said detecting step is deemed a scene-change frame.

25. The image processing method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of:

performing exception processing in which a final image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the end of the dynamic image in said detecting step is deemed a scene-change frame.

27. The image processing method according to claim 25, wherein when a time duration for each scene-change frame of two scenes in close proximity is less than the specified duration, frame information from a scene-change frame of the first scene and frame information through a frame from the scene-change frame of the second scene are treated as the result of merging of the scene-change frames of the two scenes into one scene whose duration is equal to the specified duration.

29. The image processing method according to claim 27, wherein when the duration of the scene-change frame of the second scene to be merged falls within a specified duration of the scene-change frame of the first scene, all the frame information of the scene-change frame of the second scene are merged with the scene-change frame of the first scene.

22. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining scene-change frames based on the calculated degree of similarity; and

performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging from each scene delimited by a scene change a specified duration of frames having a high degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a quiet digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.

24. The image processing method according to claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

detecting blank scenes; and

performing exception processing in which an initial image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the beginning of the dynamic image in said detecting step is deemed a scene-change frame.

26. The image processing method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of:

performing exception processing in which a final image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the end of the dynamic image in said detecting step is deemed a scene-change frame.

28. The image processing method according to claim 26, wherein when a duration for each between scene-change frame of two scenes in close proximity is less than the specified duration, frame information from a scene-change frame of the first scene and frame information through a frame from the scene-change frame of the second scene are treated as the result of merging of the scene-change frames of the two scenes into one scene whose duration is equal to the specified duration.

30. The image processing method according to claim 28, wherein when the duration of the scene-change frame of the second scene to be merged falls within a specified duration of the scene-change frame of the first scene, all the frame information of the scene-change frame of the second scene are merged with the scene-change frame of the first scene.

31. A computer-readable recording medium recording program code of an image processing method comprising the steps of:

calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining scene-change frames based on the calculated degree of similarity; and

performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging from each scene delimited by a scene change a specified duration of frames having a low degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a dynamic digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.

32. A computer-readable recording medium recording program code of an image processing method comprising the steps of:

calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data;

determining scene-change frames based on the calculated degree of similarity; and

performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging from each scene delimited by a scene change a specified duration of frames having a high degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a quiet digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user.