JP2000278584A - Image input device provided with image processing function and recording medium recording its image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an image input device provided with an image processing function that converts an original picture into another picture not including an object according to the intention of the object person or the like in the picture or converts only a specific area including the object of the original picture into a different picture while least losing the intention of a photographer. SOLUTION: A control section 101 makes communication with a computer connected to a network via a communication control section 113. Upon the receipt of a command to change a photographing range of a camera section 103, the control section 101 controls the camera section 103 and a camera panning tilt section 105. A marker sensing section 107 senses, in a picture photographed by the camera section 103, the area of a marker similar to the shape of a previously stored marker. A privacy protection picture processing section 109 extracts a protection area in the picture on the basis of the marker area sensed by the marker sensing section 107 and applies mosaic processing to the extracted protection area. The picture whose protection area has been subjected to mosaic processing is transmitted to the computer connected to the network via the communication control section 113.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image input device having an image processing function and a recording medium storing an image processing program, and in particular, is permitted to take a picture based on an image taken by a camera. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having an image processing function of performing predetermined image processing on a non-existent area and a recording medium on which an image processing program is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the enhancement of network infrastructure and the development of communication technology, systems for transmitting and receiving video or audio data from a remote monitoring camera or a videophone have been developed. In particular, in a remote monitoring camera system using the Internet, an image captured by a camera can be viewed at a terminal installed at a location away from the location where the camera is installed. In this system, it is possible to control pan, tilt, zoom, etc. of a camera from a terminal connected to a network. The operator of the terminal can freely select a range to be photographed by the camera. In addition, images captured by a camera can be viewed on a plurality of terminals connected to a network. Some systems provide images to unspecified terminal users. Such a remote monitoring camera system has a problem that the privacy of an individual cannot be sufficiently protected because the intention of a person who is photographed by the camera and becomes a subject is not considered at all.

To solve this problem, see, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 136247 discloses a remote monitoring camera system in which an area that cannot be photographed by a camera is set in a server that controls the camera. In this conventional remote monitoring camera system, an area that cannot be photographed by a camera is photographed and is not sent to a terminal connected to a network. In this regard, it is possible to protect the privacy of an individual in an area where the camera cannot capture an image.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-121305 discloses that, in a videophone, a camera for photographing a caller is prohibited by closing a shutter mounted on the camera, There is disclosed a videophone that makes it impossible to shoot a caller by changing the direction.

[0005]

However, in the conventional remote monitoring camera system, the area where the photograph cannot be taken is set according to the convenience of the person who manages the camera (photographer side). In an area other than the area where the camera cannot shoot, the privacy of the subject is not protected, and the shot image is displayed on a plurality of terminals connected to the network.
Therefore, there is a problem that privacy cannot be protected according to the intention of the subject.

Further, in the conventional videophone, the caller himself is not photographed by closing the shutter mounted on the camera or changing the direction of the camera at his own will. However, in this case, nothing can be photographed with the camera, or even if it can be photographed, only an image contrary to the intention of the other party of the call can be photographed. Therefore, it is not possible to confirm whether or not a person is present or not, which is inappropriate for obtaining an image for security management or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. In order to minimize the intention of a photographer, the present invention does not include a subject in the intention of the subject. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image input device having an image processing function capable of converting an image or a specific area including a subject into an image different from an original image, and a recording medium recording an image processing program. I do.

[0008]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image input apparatus having an image processing function, comprising: an image input unit for inputting an image; Detecting means for detecting a predetermined shape, a storing means for storing a predetermined shape in advance, and when the shape of the subject detected by the detecting means matches the predetermined shape stored in the storing means, all of the input image Or image processing means for converting a part of the image into an image different from the input image.

Preferably, the image input device having an image processing function is a distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a subject, and the position of the subject detected by the detecting means in the input image and the distance measured by the distance measuring means. Based on the distance to the subject,
And a protection area extraction unit that extracts a protection area from the input image, wherein the image processing unit converts the image of the protection area into an image different from the input image.

[0010] More preferably, the image input apparatus having an image processing function is further connected to a network and further includes means for transmitting the image converted by the image processing means to the network.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing an image processing program, comprising: a detecting step of detecting a shape of a subject from an input image; a storing step of storing a predetermined shape in advance; When the shape of the input subject matches the predetermined shape stored in advance in the storage step, the computer performs a step of converting all or a part of the input image into an image different from the input image. An image processing program for recording.

[0012] According to these inventions, the object of the photographer is converted into an image that does not include the subject, or the object including the subject is specified, while minimizing the intention of the photographer as much as possible. It is possible to provide an image input device having an image processing function capable of converting only an area into an image different from an original image, and a recording medium recording an image processing program.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding members.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a camera server to which an image input device having an image processing function according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. Referring to the figure, camera server 100 includes camera unit 103 for photographing subject 130, camera pan / tilt unit 105 for moving the photographing direction of camera unit 103 up, down, left and right, and camera unit 103. Marker detecting section 107 for detecting a marker from the detected image
And a privacy protection image processing unit 109 for performing predetermined image processing on an image captured by the camera unit 103 based on the marker detected by the marker detection unit 107, and communicating with another computer connected to the network. And a control unit 101 for performing communication.

The camera section 103 comprises an optical lens and a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD sensor. Camera unit 10
The image photographed in 3 is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion element and transmitted to the marker detection unit 107. The control of the focus, zoom, and iris of the camera unit 103 is determined based on a control command received from the control unit 101. The camera pan / tilt unit 105 includes the camera unit 1
The shooting direction of 03 is moved up, down, left, and right. The camera pan / tilt unit 105 performs a pan and tilt operation according to a control command received from the control unit 101. Thereby, the shooting direction of the camera unit 103 is moved up, down, left, and right.

[0016] The communication control unit 113 controls the camera server 100.
Is a communication interface for connecting the PC to a computer network or a communication network, and performs communication with another personal computer connected to the network or the like. The figure shows a form in which the apparatus is connected to a computer network. The audio data or image data input to the communication control unit 113 is transmitted to a personal computer connected to the network via the network in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 101.

The control unit 101 controls the entire camera server 100. The control unit 101 receives a command to change a range to be shot by the camera unit 103 by communicating with another computer or the like connected to the network via the communication control unit 113. The control unit 101 transmits a control command to the camera unit 103 and the camera pan / tilt unit 105 based on the received command. The camera pan / tilt unit 105 changes the shooting direction of the camera unit 103 based on the control command received from the control unit 101. Further, the camera unit 103 determines a focus value, a zoom amount, and an iris value based on the control command received from the control unit 101. Thereby, the camera unit 1
At 03, the shooting range is controlled.

The marker detecting section 107 receives an image photographed by the camera section 103. The marker detection unit 107 includes:
A marker is stored in advance, and by comparing the shape extracted from the image received from the camera unit 103 with the shape of the marker, an area having a shape similar to the shape of the marker (hereinafter, referred to as a “marker area”) is obtained from the image. Detect. The marker stored in the marker detection unit 107 has a shape represented by characters, symbols, colors, or a combination thereof. The marker will be described later in detail.

The privacy protection image processing unit 109 receives the image captured by the camera unit 103 from the marker detection unit 107 and the marker area detected by the marker detection unit 107. A protection area is extracted from the image based on the received marker area, and predetermined image processing is performed on the extracted protection area. The image subjected to the image processing is transmitted to the control unit 101.
Sent to.

The control unit 101 transmits the processed image received from the privacy protection image processing unit 109 to a computer or the like connected to a network via the communication control unit 113. As a result, a computer or the like connected to the network can operate the privacy protection image processing unit 1.
At 09, the image subjected to the image processing can be displayed.

A program for executing the processing performed by the marker detection unit 107 and the privacy protection image processing unit 109 is recorded on the recording medium 121, and the recorded program is stored in the external storage device 1 connected to the camera server 100.
11 may be executed by the control unit 101. The recording medium 121 is a magneto-optical disk, a digital video disk (DVD), or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the photographing range of the camera unit 103 when the camera unit 103 photographs a room. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the room 203 viewed from a viewpoint above the room 203. An object 201 having a marker 200 attached to the chest is present substantially in the center of the room 203. The camera unit 103 is mounted above one wall of the room 203. The photographing range that can be photographed by the camera unit 103 extends throughout the room at the angle shown in the figure. Since the subject 201 is included in the shooting range of the camera unit 103, it is included in an image shot by the camera unit 103.
Part of the area near the wall on which the camera unit 103 is mounted is not included in the shooting range. An area that is not included in the shooting range can be included in the shooting range by panning and tilting the camera pan / tilt unit 105.

Next, the camera control processing performed by the control unit 101 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the camera control process performed by the control unit 101. The control unit 101 communicates with a computer or the like connected to a network via the communication control unit 113. Commands received from a computer or the like include a command for instructing a change in the shooting direction of the camera unit 103 and a command for instructing adjustment of the zoom, focus, and iris of the camera unit 103. The control unit 101 converts these commands transmitted from the computer or the like into control commands and transmits them to the camera pan / tilt unit 105 and the camera unit 103. As a result, the camera pan / tilt unit 105 and the camera unit 103 are connected to the control unit 101.
Is controlled by

When receiving a command to change the photographing range of the camera unit 103 from a personal computer or the like, the control unit 101 transmits a control command to the camera pan / tilt unit 105 (step S31). The camera pan / tilt unit 105 performs a pan operation or a tilt operation in response to receiving the control command. Thereby, the shooting range of the camera unit 103 moves up, down, left, and right.

When receiving a command for adjusting the focus, zoom, and iris of the camera unit 103 from a personal computer or the like, the control unit 101 transmits a control command to the camera unit 103 (step S).
32). Thereby, the camera unit 103 performs an operation of adjusting the focus, zoom, and iris according to the reception of the control command.

Next, by driving the camera unit 103, photographing is started by the camera unit 103 (step S3).
3). The image captured by the camera unit 103 is transmitted to the marker detection unit 107.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of image processing performed by the marker detection unit 107 and the privacy protection image processing unit 109. Referring to the figure, the image processing is a step of inputting an image captured by the camera unit 103 (S
01), a step of detecting a marker from the image (S02), a step of determining whether or not the image contains a marker (S03), and a step of extracting a protected area from the image (S04) And performing a process of converting the image of the protected area extracted in step S04 into a predetermined image (S05), and outputting the image converted in step S05 (S06).

In step S01, the camera unit 10
The image captured in Step 3 is input to the marker detection unit 107. The input image may be a still image or a moving image.

In step S02, by comparing the input image with a marker stored in the marker detecting unit 107, an image area having a shape similar to the marker (hereinafter, referred to as "marker area") is detected from the image. Detect. When there are a plurality of markers stored in the marker detection unit 107, all the markers are compared with the image.

As a technique for detecting the marker area, a known image recognition technique can be used. For example, the shape of the subject is recognized by binarizing the image using luminance or hue and extracting the contour of the subject included in the image. Recognized object shape and marker detection unit 10
The image area having a shape similar to the shape of the marker is detected as a marker area by comparing the shape of the marker with the shape of the marker stored in 7.

The case where a marker area is detected from an image means, for example, that a person enters a shooting range of the camera unit 103 by attaching a marker having the same shape as a marker stored in the marker detecting unit 107 to a chest or the like. Is the case. In this case, the person is included in the image captured by the camera unit 103 as a subject, and a marker attached to the chest of the person is also included in the image captured by the camera unit 103.

In step S03, it is determined whether or not a marker has been detected from the image. When a marker is detected, the process proceeds to step S04, and when not detected, the process is terminated without performing the subsequent processes.

In step S04, a process of extracting a protected area for protecting privacy from the image is performed. In step S05, step S04
The image conversion processing is performed on the image of the protection area extracted in step (1). The processing performed in steps S04 and S05 will be described later in detail.

In step S06, step S0
The processed image subjected to the image conversion processing in step 5
Output to 01. The control unit 101 outputs the processed image output from the privacy protection image processing unit 109 to the communication control unit 113.

The communication control unit 113 transmits the processed image to a personal computer or the like connected to a network. A personal computer or the like connected to the network displays the received processed image on a display means such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display connected to the personal computer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the protection area extraction processing performed in step S04 of FIG. Referring to the figure, the protection area extraction processing includes a step of extracting a candidate area (S11) and a step of extracting a candidate area closest to a marker among the candidate areas extracted in step S11 as a protection area (S12). And

In step S11, a region of a person's face from a subject included in an image is extracted as a candidate region. As the method, for example, a method of extracting a skin color region from an image is used. This is because the skin color region has a high probability of representing a human face.

In step S12, the distance between the position of the candidate area extracted in step S11 and the position of the marker area detected in step S02 in FIG. 4 is calculated in the image. When a plurality of candidate areas are extracted in step S11, the distance from the position of the marker area is calculated for all the candidate areas. Then, a candidate area having the shortest distance from the marker area is extracted as a protection area. As a result, the face area closest to the marker area in the image is extracted as the protection area. That is, the area of the face of the person with the marker on the chest is extracted as the protection area.

If a plurality of marker areas are detected from the image in step S02 in FIG. 4, step S12 in FIG.
Then, a plurality of protected areas are extracted. That is, protected areas are extracted by the number of detected markers.
In other words, when a plurality of people with markers on their chests are included in the image, all of the faces of the people with markers on their chests are extracted as protected areas.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the image conversion process performed in step S05 of FIG. Referring to the figure, the image conversion process includes a step of performing mosaic processing on the extracted image of the protected area (S21), and a step of performing the mosaic processing on the protected area image and the image input from the camera unit 103. Performing processing for synthesizing (S
22).

In step S21, mosaic processing is performed on all of the protected areas extracted in step S12 in FIG. Thus, the image of the protected area is converted into an image in which a person cannot recognize who the subject is. Further, instead of the mosaic processing, filter processing such as LUT conversion may be used. Further, another image data may be stored in the privacy protection image processing unit 109 in advance, and the image in the protected area may be replaced with another image data.

In step S22, the input image is combined with the image of the protected area where the mosaic processing has been performed and the person cannot recognize who the subject is. As a result, only the image in the protection area of the input image is an image on which the mosaic processing has been performed. On the other hand, the other images of the synthesized image except for the protection area are in the original state, and can be recognized by a person.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image captured by the camera unit 103 and an image output from the camera server 100. FIG. 7A shows an image captured by the camera unit 103, and FIG. 7B shows an image output from the camera server 100. Referring to FIG. 7A, an image 211 photographed by the camera unit 103 includes a subject 20 represented as a person.
1 and a marker 200. The subject 201
The shape of the person is deformed and drawn. With reference to FIG. 7B, the face of the subject is shown as a protected area 203 that has been subjected to mosaic processing.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification of the image output from the camera server 100. Referring to the figure, a symbol 225 indicating that the face portion of the subject is a protected area,
It is displayed superimposed on the face of the subject. In this way, by displaying the symbol 225 on the face of the subject extracted as the protected area, the viewer of the image 211 recognizes who the subject shown in the image 211 is. An image that cannot be output can be output, and the fact that the subject shown in the image 211 requires privacy protection can be recognized.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of the marker.
FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a marker 250 that emits light.
As the marker that emits light, for example, a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode can be used. In the marker detection unit 107,
In order to detect a marker that emits light from an image, the marker can be detected by detecting the color of the light that the marker emits. Also, by extracting luminance information from the image and detecting the shape of the region where the luminance suddenly increases,
Markers can be detected.

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing markers in which different colors are combined. A marker is composed of a combination of a red square and a yellow square. Marker detection unit 107
In, the marker can be detected by detecting a color change. Further, if the marker is detected by a combination of the color and the shape, the accuracy of detecting the marker is improved.

FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a star-shaped marker. The marker detection unit 107 can detect a marker using the above-described method of recognizing a shape and detecting a marker. Although the shape of the marker shown in FIG. 9C is a regular shape, by making the shape an irregular shape, the detection accuracy can be further improved.

FIG. 9D is a diagram showing a marker of a dedicated mark. The exclusive mark is a marker that is valid only for one camera server.

FIG. 9E is a diagram showing markers represented by bar codes. By using the barcode as a marker, it is possible to change the content of the image processing performed by the detected marker. For example, in the case of a barcode, only the face is mosaiced,
In the case of another barcode, mosaic processing is performed on an area wider than the face.

FIG. 9F is a diagram showing a marker to which a special code pattern such as a two-dimensional bar code is applied. By using the special code pattern as a marker, the same effect as when a bar code is applied to the marker can be obtained.

As described above, when a marker is included in an image captured by the camera unit 103, the camera server according to the present embodiment performs a mosaic process on an area of a human face closest to the marker. As a result, an image in which the person cannot recognize the subject is synthesized and output only with the face of the person wearing the marker. As a result, it is possible to output an image according to the intention of the photographer without limiting the photographing range of the camera unit 103, and to output an image in which the privacy of the person wearing the marker is protected. .

Further, only the area necessary for privacy protection can be mosaic-processed, and the amount of information of the output image can be kept large.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a camera server to which an image input device having an image processing function according to a second embodiment is applied will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a camera server 300 according to the second embodiment. The camera server 300 according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which a distance measuring unit 119 is added to the camera server 100 according to the first embodiment.
The camera server 300 according to the second embodiment has the same hardware configuration as that of the camera server 100 according to the first embodiment except for the addition of the distance measuring unit 119.
The description of the same hardware configuration as that of camera server 100 in the first embodiment will not be repeated here.

The marker detection unit 107 of the camera server 300
Among the processing performed by the marker detection unit 107 and the privacy protection image processing unit 109 of the camera server in the first embodiment, the processing performed by the privacy protection image processing unit 109 and the privacy protection image processing unit 109 is performed in step S04 of FIG. Similar processing is performed except for the extraction processing of the protected area to be performed. The description of the same processing as that performed by marker detection section 107 and privacy protection image processing section 109 in the first embodiment will not be repeated here.

The distance measuring section 119 is an ultrasonic sensor, and includes a transmitting section for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a receiving section for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from a subject. Further, instead of the ultrasonic sensor, a distance measuring sensor using a phase difference method using an image sensor such as a laser sensor or CCD may be used. The distance measuring unit 119 is installed near the camera unit 103. Therefore, the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 119 is the camera unit 10
This is the distance between 3 and the subject. Further, instead of the distance measuring unit 119, the distance to the subject may be measured using the focusing information of the camera unit 103.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of a protected area extracting process performed by the privacy protected image processing unit 109 of the camera server 300 according to the second embodiment. Referring to the drawing, the protection area extraction processing includes a step of measuring the distance to the marker (S31), a step of determining the size of the protection area (S32), and a step of determining the position of the protection area (S33). ).

In step S31, the distance to the marker corresponding to the marker area detected in step S02 of FIG. 4 is measured by the distance measuring unit 119. Step S0 in FIG.
If there are a plurality of marker areas detected in step 2, in step S31, the distance between the camera unit 103 and the markers corresponding to all of the plurality of detected marker areas is measured.

In step S32, the size of the protection area is determined. The protection area here refers to an area including a subject for protecting privacy. If the distance between the subject and the camera unit 103 is short, the camera unit 10
The area of the subject occupying in the image captured in Step 3 becomes large. Conversely, when the distance between the subject and the camera unit 103 is long, the area of the subject in the image captured by the camera unit 103 is small. Using the relationship between the distance between the subject and the camera unit 103 and the area of the subject in the image captured by the camera unit 103, the size of the protection area is determined based on the distance between the camera unit 103 and the marker. I do. Since the marker is attached to the person as the subject, the distance between the subject and the camera unit 103 is determined by the marker and the camera unit 103.
The processing is performed on the assumption that the distance is

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the distance to the subject and the size of the protection area. Referring to FIG. 12, the horizontal axis indicates the distance to the subject, and the vertical axis indicates the size of the protection area. The size of the protection area is represented by the number of pixels included in the protection area. The straight line 30 shows an example of the relationship between the distance to the subject and the size of the protection area.
For example, when the distance to the subject is 5 [m], the size of the protection area is 200 × 400 [pixels].

The straight line 30 is determined by the performance of the camera unit 103, the zoom amount, the size of the subject, and the like. From the performance and zoom amount of the camera unit 103, the camera unit 10
It is possible to derive the area of the subject occupying the shooting range of No. 3. For example, when the subject is a person, the size can be specified within a certain range from the relationship between the height and the width of the person. Based on the range of the specified size, the area of the subject in the image captured by the camera unit 103 can be roughly determined. Thus, the straight line 30 indicating the relationship between the distance to the subject and the size of the protection area is determined. In the present embodiment, the aspect ratio of the protection area is set to horizontal: vertical = 1: 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in the case of shooting by short distance / zoom in, the ratio of the subject to the screen becomes larger than in shooting by long distance / zoom out. You may reduce it.

When a plurality of marker areas are detected in the image, the size of the protection area for each marker area is determined.

Returning to FIG. 11, in the next step S33, a protected area is determined. In step S32, the size of the protection area is determined. In step S33, the protection area is determined by determining where in the image the protection area is located.

The position of the marker area in the image is known when the marker area is detected. The position of the protection area is determined such that the center of gravity of the protection area overlaps the position of the marker area. By matching the center of gravity of the protected area with the position of the marker area, the subject wearing the marker is included in the protected area.

FIG. 13 shows the protected area 207 in the image 211.
FIG. Referring to the figure, the protected area 207 is displayed at the position where the center of gravity of the marker 200 and the center of gravity of the protected area 207 overlap each other.
11. The protected area 207 is
The subject 205 wearing the marker 200 is included in the protection area 207 by expressing the size of the marker 200 at the position where the center of gravity overlaps the marker 200.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an image output by the camera server 300 according to the second embodiment. Referring to the figure, an elliptical protected area 277 is displayed in image 211. The protection area 277 has been subjected to mosaic processing. Further, in the protected area 277, characters of "privacy protected area" are displayed.

The protected area 227 is an ellipse included in the rectangular protected area determined in the above-described protected area extraction processing. As described above, since the protection area is made smaller by making the protection area closer to the shape of the subject, the area of the area other than the protection area 227 in the image 211 becomes larger, and the viewer who views the image 211 The amount of information to be given increases.

Also, by displaying the character of "privacy protection area" in the protection area 227, the protection area 227 is displayed in the protection area 227 for the person who views the image 211 with the intention of the person who seeks the protection of privacy. This makes it possible to recognize that the region is an area where it is not possible to determine who the projected person is.

As described above, in the camera server 300 according to the second embodiment, since the protected area including the object with the marker in the image is subjected to image conversion processing such as mosaic, the protected area in the image 211 is protected. The subject 205 included in 207 is an image from which a person cannot be recognized. Thereby, the camera server 300
Can output an image that matches the intention of the photographer who operates the camera unit 103,
It is possible to output an image in which the privacy of the subject 205 wearing is protected.

In the image 211, except for the protected area 207 including the subject 205, no image conversion processing such as mosaic processing is performed, so that the amount of information given to a viewer of the image 211 can be increased. it can.

Further, when a plurality of markers are detected in the image, a plurality of protected areas are determined, and image processing such as mosaic is performed on the plurality of protected areas. Thus, even when there are a plurality of subjects for which privacy protection is required, the image conversion processing is performed on the protected area including each subject, so that an image in which the privacy of each subject is protected can be output.

Further, since the protection area is determined based on the position of the marker area and the distance to the corresponding marker, the subject can be easily and reliably included in the protection area. As a result, the image can be converted into an image that can reliably protect the privacy of the subject wearing the marker.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a camera server to which an image input device having an image processing function according to a third embodiment is applied will be described. FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a camera server 400 according to the third embodiment. The camera server 400 according to the third embodiment has a hardware configuration in which the marker detection unit 107 of the camera server 100 according to the first embodiment is replaced with a gesture recognition unit 140. Other hardware configurations are the same as those of camera server 100 in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof will not be repeated.

The processing performed by the gesture recognition section 140 and the privacy protection image processing section 109 is the first processing.
The processing performed by the marker detection unit 107 and the privacy protection image processing unit 109 of the camera server 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the processing of extracting the protected area shown in FIG. 5, and the other processing is the same. . The description of the same processing will not be repeated.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of the protection area extraction processing performed by the gesture recognition unit 140. Referring to the figure, the process of extracting a protected area is performed by the camera unit 1.
Step S41 of performing a process of extracting a subject from the image captured in 03, determining whether the extracted subject has a predetermined shape (S42), and determining a subject portion in the image as a protection area. Step (S43).

In step S41, the camera unit 10
The subject is extracted from the image captured in step 3. The extraction of the subject uses a well-known technique as described in the marker detection performed by the marker detection unit 107 in the first embodiment. The subject extracted here is a person.

In step S42, it is determined whether or not the extracted subject has a predetermined shape. A predetermined shape is stored in the gesture recognition unit 140 in advance, and by comparing the image captured by the camera unit 103 with the predetermined shape, it is determined whether the image includes a subject having the predetermined shape. Judge. If the predetermined shape is similar to the shape of the subject included in the image, the subject is determined to have the predetermined shape. For example, when the predetermined shape stored in advance in the gesture recognition unit 140 is a shape in which a person crosses both hands, it is determined whether the shape of the subject included in the image is a shape in which both hands cross each other. Is determined.

If the subject is similar to the predetermined shape (YES in S42), the process proceeds to step S43. If the subject is not similar to the predetermined shape (NO in S42), the process ends without performing step S43. I do.

If a plurality of subjects are extracted in step S41, the degree of similarity between the extracted plurality of subjects and a predetermined shape is determined in step S42. When a plurality of predetermined shapes are stored,
The degree of similarity between the shape of the subject and a plurality of predetermined shapes is determined.

In step S43, an area of the subject similar to a predetermined shape in the image is determined as a protection area.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an image input to the camera server 400 and an image to be output in the third embodiment. FIG. 17A shows an image input to the camera server 400, and FIG.
Indicates an image to be output. Referring to FIG. 17A, image 231 includes subject 231 having both hands crossed.
Referring to FIG. 17B, a protected area 232 corresponding to an area where the subject in the image 211 is projected is displayed after being subjected to a mosaic process.

When a gesture of crossing both hands is performed after the subject does not want to be photographed for the first time, and it is considered that the subject may be photographed, the subject performs a predetermined gesture to perform the protection area in the image. May be an image that has not been subjected to the mosaic processing.
For example, the gesture recognizing unit 140 previously stores a shape in which a subject draws a circle with both hands, and when extracting a subject having a shape in which a circle is drawn with both hands from an image, does not apply the mosaic processing to the protected area. To

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an image input to the camera server 400 and an image to be output when the subject makes a gesture of drawing a circle with both hands. FIG.
(A) shows an image input to the camera server 400,
FIG. 18B shows an image output from the camera server 400. With reference to FIG. 18A, a subject 241 in which a circle is drawn with both hands is included in the image 211. Referring to FIG. 18B, the subject 242 in the image 211 is not subjected to the mosaic processing, and is an image in which a person can recognize who the subject 242 is.

As described above, it is determined whether or not to perform the mosaic processing on the area of the subject in the image based on the shape of the subject included in the image. Accordingly, it is possible to convert the subject included in the image into an image in which a person cannot recognize who is the subject in the image according to his or her intention.

As described above, in the camera server 400 according to the third embodiment, an image conversion process such as mosaic is performed on an area of an object having a predetermined shape in an image. An image in which the person cannot be recognized is obtained. Accordingly, the camera server 400 can output an image that matches the intention of the photographer who operates the camera unit 103, and can output an image that protects the privacy of the subject who has performed a predetermined gesture.

Further, since the image conversion processing such as the mosaic is not performed on the other regions except the region of the subject having made the predetermined gesture in the image, the amount of information given to the viewer of the image can be increased.

It should be noted that the embodiment disclosed this time is merely an example in all respects and is not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a camera server 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a shooting range of the camera unit 103 when shooting a room with the camera unit 103;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a camera control process performed by a control unit 101.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of image processing performed by a marker detection unit 107 and a privacy protection image processing unit 109;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a protection area extraction process performed in step S04 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of an image conversion process performed in step S05 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image input to the camera server 100 and an image output therefrom.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of an image output by the camera server 100.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a marker.

FIG. 10 shows a camera server 30 according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a block 0.

FIG. 11 shows a camera server 30 according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a protected area extraction process performed by a privacy protected image processing unit 109 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a distance to a subject and the size of a protection area.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a protected area 207 in an image 211.

FIG. 14 shows a camera server 30 according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image output by 0.

FIG. 15 shows a camera server 40 according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a block 0.

FIG. 16 shows a camera server 40 according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a protected area extraction process performed by a privacy protected image processing unit 109 of FIG.

FIG. 17 shows a camera server 40 according to the third embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the image input into 0 and the image to output.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an image input to the camera server 400 and an image to be output when a subject makes a gesture of drawing a circle with both hands.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100, 300, 400 Camera server 101 Control unit 103 Camera unit 105 Pan / Tilt unit for camera 107 Marker detection unit 109 Privacy protection image processing unit 111 External storage device 113 Communication control unit 119 Distance measurement unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page F term (reference) 5B057 AA19 BA02 CA01 CA12 CA16 CE08 DA07 DB02 DB05 DB06 DC09 DC25 DC33 5C022 AA01 AB62 AB65 AB66 AC27 AC54 AC69 AC74 AC75 CA00 5C054 AA01 CA04 CC05 CE06 CF06 CG02 CH01 DA06 EA05 FA09 FC14 FF03 GA00 GB02 HA18 HA19

Claims (4)

[Claims] An image input unit that inputs an image; a detection unit that detects a shape of a subject from the input image; a storage unit that stores a predetermined shape in advance; and a shape of the subject detected by the detection unit. Image processing means for converting all or part of the input image into an image different from the input image when the predetermined shape stored in the storage means coincides with the predetermined shape. Image input device with functions. 2. A distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a subject, based on a position of the subject detected by the detecting means in the input image and a distance to the subject measured by the distance measuring means. And a protection area extraction unit for extracting a protection area from the input image, wherein the image processing unit converts an image of the protection area into an image different from the input image. Item 2. An image input device having the image processing function according to Item 1. 3. The image input device having an image processing function according to claim 1, further comprising a unit connected to a network and transmitting an image converted by the image processing unit to the network. 4. A detection step of detecting a shape of a subject from an input image, a storage step of storing a predetermined shape in advance, and a shape of the subject detected in the detection step and stored in the storage step in advance. A step of converting all or a part of the input image to an image different from the input image when the predetermined shape matches the image, causing the computer to execute the image processing program.