JP2005218016A - Image processing apparatus and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable properly detecting predetermined colors according to a photographing mode. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus has a photographing mode unit (115) for switching a plurality of photographing modes, a flesh color detecting processing unit (103) for detecting predetermined colors on the basis of previously set color information, and a control unit (114) for controlling the flesh color detecting processing unit for detecting the predetermined colors to change the color information on the basis of the photographing mode selected by the photographing mode selecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus and method for changing an image processing method in accordance with a shooting mode set by a photographer.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an image encoding device using a conventional technique. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 501 includes a lens and an image sensor, and an imaging unit that captures an object, 502 an image signal processing unit that executes a series of image signal processing such as gamma conversion, color space conversion, and raster-block conversion, and 503 a series. A skin color detection processing unit for detecting the face portion of a person who is generally high in importance as a subject to be photographed, and 504 encodes an input image that has been block-interleaved. An image encoding processing unit that compresses the code amount, 505 is a recording unit that records encoded data on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a memory card, and 506 is operated by a photographer to perform shooting for setting a shooting mode. It is a mode selection part.

  The encoded data output from the image encoding processing unit 504 generally differs in encoding method between still image shooting and moving image shooting. At the time of still image shooting, the JPEG method standardized by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is widely used as an encoding method for storing and displaying a still image on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk. In addition, the MPEG standard standardized by ISO is widely used as an encoding method for saving and displaying on a similar storage medium, broadcasting via a communication channel, or two-way communication when shooting moving images. .

  Shooting modes that can be selected and set by the shooting mode selection unit 506 include, for example, a sport mode suitable for shooting a subject moving at high speed, and a spot suitable for shooting a subject that is exposed to strong light in a dark room or the like. There are a light mode, a surf & snow mode suitable for shooting outdoors with strong sunlight, and a portrait mode suitable for shooting a person's face.

  The sports mode is a shooting mode in which a fast-moving subject can be shot sharply without blurring by increasing the shutter speed in a fast-moving sports scene such as a running person. The spotlight mode is a shooting mode that enables shooting with an appropriate exposure without overexposure when shooting a scene illuminated with a spotlight such as a stage or a wedding hall. The surf & snow mode is a shooting mode that prevents a subject from appearing dark even in a bright background such as the seaside or a slope, and enables shooting with appropriate exposure. The portrait mode is a shooting mode in which it is possible to shoot with a shallow subject depth and a blurred background so that only a person stands up.

  When the photographer selects and sets these shooting modes with the shooting mode selection unit 506, the intention of shooting can be reflected in the image data output from the image signal processing unit 502 (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 05-137147 A

  However, in the conventional image coding apparatus, the photographer's intention is reflected in the image data output from the image signal processing unit 502 by selecting and setting the shooting mode. However, the skin color detection in the skin color detection processing unit 503 is performed. It was not reflected in the processing, and the skin color detection processing was performed under the same conditions for the still image / moving image input data regardless of the shooting mode.

  For example, when the shooting mode is set to the spotlight mode, the image signal processing unit 502 attempts to properly expose the subject so that the subject does not become overexposed even when the subject is irradiated with the spotlight in a dark room. However, it is difficult to achieve proper exposure in all shooting situations caused by a combination of various factors such as the positional relationship between the subject, spotlight, and camera, the amount of spotlight irradiation, and the darkness of the background. As a result, when the subject is photographed as whitish than usual, the skin color detection processing unit 103 cannot perform accurate skin color detection processing.

  FIG. 8A shows an example of an image obtained by photographing a person to whom a spotlight is applied in a dark room in the spotlight mode. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the result of the skin color detection processing performed by the skin color detection processing unit 503 on the image of FIG. 8A, and shows the face portion of the person in FIG. Only a part is recognized as the skin color (the part shown in black), and the skin color detection result is inaccurate. This is considered to be because the spotlight is directly applied to the face portion of the person in a dark room and the portion is whitened.

  Further, when the shooting mode is set to the surf & snow mode, the image signal processing 502 attempts to properly expose the subject so that the subject is not darkly captured even when shooting outdoors where the background is extremely bright. However, it is difficult to achieve proper exposure in all shooting situations caused by a combination of various factors such as the positional relationship between the subject, the sun, and the camera, and the brightness of the background. When the image is shot darker than usual, the skin color detection processing unit 103 cannot perform skin color detection processing with high accuracy.

  FIG. 9A shows an example of an image obtained by photographing a person outdoors in bright sunlight. FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the result of the skin color detection processing performed by the skin color detection processing unit 503 on the image of FIG. 9A. The human face portion of FIG. The skin color is not recognized at all, and the skin color detection result is extremely inaccurate. In FIG. 9 (a), the contrast between the surrounding and the person who is the subject is strong, and this is considered to be caused by the fact that the face portion of the person is shot darker than usual.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable detection of a predetermined color appropriately according to a shooting mode.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a shooting mode selection unit that switches a plurality of shooting modes, a color detection unit that detects a predetermined color based on preset color information, and the shooting Control means for controlling to change the color information of the color detection means for detecting the predetermined color in accordance with the photographing mode selected by the mode selection means.

  The image processing method of the present invention includes a shooting mode selection step for switching a plurality of shooting modes, and a change for changing color information for detecting a predetermined color according to the shooting mode selected in the shooting mode selection step. And a color detection step of detecting a predetermined color based on color information set in advance or color information changed in the changing step.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately detect a predetermined color according to the shooting mode.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image encoding device as an example of an image processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an image pickup unit that includes a lens and an image pickup device, and shoots an image. Reference numeral 102 denotes an image signal processing unit that executes a series of image signal processing such as gamma conversion, color space conversion, and raster-block conversion. The skin color detection processing unit 104, which is performed for the purpose of detecting the face portion of a person who is generally high in importance as a shooting target with respect to an image subjected to image processing, is a reference that most closely matches the prediction target image block A motion compensation prediction unit that predicts an image block and generates a motion vector, 105 is an orthogonal transformation unit that performs orthogonal transformation such as discrete cosine transformation, and 106 divides the orthogonal transformation coefficient by a quantization matrix to reduce the amount of information The quantization unit 107 is an entropy coding unit that further reduces the amount of information by variable-length coding using a Huffman code, and the like 108 is generated per unit time that fluctuates. A buffer unit that smoothes the amount of code to be encoded on the time axis, 109 a recording unit that records encoded data on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a memory card, and 110 a quantization unit 106 for reconstructing a reference image , An inverse quantization unit that inversely quantizes the orthogonal transform coefficient quantized by, and an inverse orthogonal transform unit that performs inverse orthogonal transform on the orthogonal transform coefficient after inverse quantization generated by the inverse quantization unit 110, and 112 a buffer The code amount control unit 113 monitors the occupancy of the unit 108 and controls the encoded data so as not to overflow or become empty. A shooting mode selection unit 114 is operated by the photographer to set the shooting mode. A control unit 115 controls the skin color detection processing unit 103 according to the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode selection unit 113, and 115 is a code operated by the photographer to select a still image or a moving image. A mode selection unit.

  First, in the image encoding apparatus having the above-described configuration, a flow until image data captured when the moving image encoding mode is selected by the encoding mode selection unit 115 is recorded as encoded data is illustrated in FIG. This will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

  The image data input from the imaging unit 101 is subjected to a series of image signal processing such as gamma conversion, color space conversion, raster-block conversion in the image signal processing unit 102 in accordance with the shooting mode set from the shooting mode selection unit 112. Applied. The skin color detection processing unit 103 performs skin color detection processing on the image that has been subjected to a series of image processing in order to detect the face portion of a person who is generally high in importance as a photographing target, and the code amount. The control unit 112 can adaptively perform code amount control using the result.

  As described above, when the face portion of a person who is generally high in importance as a photographing target can be recognized by the skin color detection process, the code amount control unit 112 performs quantization step values when quantizing the image block corresponding to the face portion. Can be reduced to increase the amount of information, and an encoding process can be performed in which a good result is obtained in the visual psychological model.

  Furthermore, the motion compensation prediction unit 104 predicts a reference image block that most closely matches the prediction target image block, and generates a motion vector. Thereafter, after a series of encoding processes are performed by the orthogonal transform unit 105, the quantization unit 106, and the entropy encoding unit 107, the encoded data is temporarily stored in the buffer unit 108, and finally stored in the magnetic tape by the storage unit 109. Or a recording medium such as a memory card. While writing to the magnetic tape is performed at a constant data rate, the rate of encoded data output from the entropy encoding unit 107 is not constant, so the code amount control unit 112 controls the quantization unit 106 to The encoded data is prevented from overflowing from the buffer unit 108 or conversely becoming empty.

  On the other hand, in order to generate a reconstructed image used in the motion compensation prediction unit 104, the orthogonal transform coefficient quantized by the quantization unit 106 is inversely quantized by the inverse quantization unit 110, and further by the inverse orthogonal transform unit 111. Inverse orthogonal transform is performed.

  Next, the skin color detection process in the first embodiment of the image encoding apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the photographing start is instructed by the photographer (step S101), the control unit 114 checks the encoding mode set in the encoding mode selection unit 115 (step S102). When the encoding mode is the moving image encoding mode, the process proceeds to step S103, and the shooting mode set in the shooting mode selection unit 113 is checked.

  In step S103, when the shooting mode is not the spotlight mode (NO in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104, and normal skin color detection processing is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the skin color detection process performed by the skin color detection processing unit 103 in the normal shooting environment in step S104.

  FIG. 3A shows one image extracted from a moving image sequence in which a person is photographed under a normal photographing environment. FIG. 3B shows an example of the result of the skin color detection process performed by the skin color detection processing unit 103 on the image of FIG. 3A, and the area recognized as the skin color is shown as a black area. . The face portion of the person in FIG. 3A is recognized as the skin color, and the skin color detection result is accurate.

  On the other hand, if the shooting mode is the spotlight mode in step S103 (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105, where the skin color detection processing unit 103 is in a color space that is recognized as a skin color in the normal shooting state. The skin color detection area is shifted to an area closer to white than the area, and a color closer to white than normal shooting is extracted as the skin color. In step S106, skin color detection processing is performed using the shifted detection region.

  FIG. 4A is a single image extracted from a moving image sequence in which a subject to which a spotlight is applied is photographed in the same dark room as in FIG. 8A. FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a result of the skin color detection process according to the first embodiment performed by the skin color detection processing unit 103 on the image of FIG. 4A, and is recognized as a skin color. This area is indicated by a black area. By shifting the skin color detection region to a region close to white, almost the entire face portion of the person's face in FIG. 4A is recognized as skin color, which is the same as in the normal environment of FIG. 3B. This is a highly accurate skin color detection result.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to perform skin color detection with higher accuracy by performing skin color detection after shifting the skin color detection region in accordance with the photographing mode.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the configuration of the image coding apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The skin color detection process in the second embodiment of the image coding apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the start of shooting is instructed by the photographer (step S201), the control unit 114 checks the coding mode set in the coding mode selection unit 115 (step S202). When the encoding mode is the moving image encoding mode, the process proceeds to step S203 to check the shooting mode set in the shooting mode selection unit 113, and when it is not the moving image encoding mode, the process ends.

  If the shooting mode is not the surf & snow mode in step S203 (NO in step S203), the process proceeds to step S204, and normal skin color detection processing is performed. The skin color detection process performed in step S204 is the same as the process performed in step S104 of FIG.

  On the other hand, if the shooting mode is the surf & snow mode in step S203 (YES in step S203), the process proceeds to step S205, and the color space that is recognized by the skin color detection processing unit 103 as the skin color in the normal shooting state. The skin color detection region is shifted to a region closer to black than the upper region, and a color closer to black than normal photographing is extracted as a skin color. In step S206, skin color detection is performed using the shifted detection area.

  FIG. 6A is a single image extracted from a moving image sequence in which a person is photographed outdoors in the bright sunlight with the same sunlight as in FIG. 9A. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a result of the skin color detection process according to the second embodiment performed by the skin color detection processing unit 103 on the image of FIG. 6A, and is recognized as a skin color. This area is indicated by a black area. 6A is recognized as a skin color, and the result is a highly accurate skin color detection result similar to that obtained in the normal environment of FIG. 3B.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to perform skin color detection with higher accuracy by performing skin color detection after shifting the skin color detection region in accordance with the shooting mode.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the skin color detection area in the color space is shifted in step S105 and step S205 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the shift, and the detection area is appropriately expanded. Or may be changed so as to be an appropriate detection region by combining with region shift.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the detection of skin color, but can also be applied when detecting a desired color.

  Needless to say, the first and second embodiments can be implemented in combination.

  In the first and second embodiments, the process for changing the skin color detection area is executed only in the moving image encoding mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is executed in the still image encoding mode. You may make it.

<Other embodiments>
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a scanner, a video camera, etc.), or a device (for example, a copier, a facsimile device, etc.) composed of a single device. You may apply to.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or CPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included. Examples of the storage medium for storing the program code include a flexible disk, hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, and the like. Can be considered. Also, a computer network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) can be used to supply the program code.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and / or 5 described above.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image coding apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the skin color detection process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the skin color detection process example in a normal imaging environment. It is a figure explaining the skin color detection process example in the spotlight mode in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the skin color detection process in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the skin color detection process example in the surf & snow mode in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image coding apparatus using a prior art. It is a figure explaining the example of the conventional skin color detection process in the case of image | photographing the to-be-photographed object with strong light in the dark room etc. FIG. It is a figure explaining the example of the conventional skin color detection process in the case of image | photographing in the bright outdoors etc. with strong sunlight.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image pick-up part 102 Image signal processing part 103 Skin color detection processing part 104 Motion compensation prediction part 105 Orthogonal transformation part 106 Quantization part 107 Entropy encoding part 108 Buffer part 109 Recording part 110 Inverse quantization part 111 Inverse orthogonal transformation part 112 Code amount Control unit 113 Shooting mode selection unit 114 Control unit 115 Encoding mode selection unit

Claims (20)

A shooting mode selection means for switching between a plurality of shooting modes;
Color detection means for detecting a predetermined color based on preset color information;
Control means for controlling to change the color information of the color detection means for detecting the predetermined color in accordance with the shooting mode selected by the shooting mode selection means. apparatus.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of shooting modes include a first shooting mode suitable for shooting a subject to which strong light is applied in a dark environment.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the first shooting mode, the color information is changed to include color information closer to white than a color or color range currently represented by the color information.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of shooting modes include a second shooting mode suitable for shooting in an environment brighter than a predetermined brightness.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in the second photographing mode, the color information is changed to include color information closer to black than a color or color range currently represented by the color information. Further comprising encoding mode selection means for switching a plurality of encoding modes for encoding an image;
6. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further controls to change the color information in accordance with the encoding mode selected by the encoding mode selection unit. Processing equipment. The plurality of encoding modes include a still image encoding mode and a moving image encoding mode,
The control means controls to change the color information when the moving image encoding mode is selected without changing the color information when the still image encoding mode is selected. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color information is color information indicating a skin color, and the color detection unit detects a skin color.   A region of an image having a predetermined color detected by the color detection unit is encoded at a first encoding rate, and the other regions are encoded at a second encoding rate lower than the first encoding rate. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising encoding means for performing the processing. A shooting mode selection step for switching between multiple shooting modes;
A change step of changing color information for detecting a predetermined color according to the shooting mode selected in the shooting mode selection step;
And a color detection step of detecting a predetermined color based on color information set in advance or color information changed in the change step.   The image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of shooting modes include a first shooting mode suitable for shooting a subject to which strong light is applied in a dark environment.   When the first shooting mode is selected in the shooting mode selection step, the color information is changed to include color information closer to white than the color or color range currently represented. The image processing method according to claim 11.   The image processing method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the plurality of shooting modes include a second shooting mode suitable for shooting in an environment brighter than a predetermined brightness.   When the second shooting mode is selected in the shooting mode selection step, the color information is changed to include color information closer to black than the color or color range currently represented. The image processing method according to claim 13. A coding mode selection step of switching a plurality of coding modes for coding an image;
15. The image processing method according to claim 10, wherein in the changing step, the color information is further changed according to the encoding mode selected in the encoding mode selecting step. The plurality of encoding modes include a still image encoding mode and a moving image encoding mode,
In the control step, the color information is not changed when the still image encoding mode is selected, and the color information is controlled when the moving image encoding mode is selected. The image processing method according to claim 15.   The image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the color information is color information indicating a skin color, and the skin color is detected in the color detection step.   A region of an image having a predetermined color detected in the color detection step is encoded at a first encoding rate, and other regions are encoded at a second encoding rate lower than the first encoding rate. The image processing method according to claim 10, further comprising an encoding step.   A program executable by an information processing apparatus, comprising program code for realizing the image processing method according to claim 10.   20. A storage medium readable by an information processing apparatus, wherein the program according to claim 19 is stored.

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