JPH11184599A - Area setting input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique by which the detection area of an image sensor or an image recognizing device, etc., is set without using another input device. SOLUTION: A block frame, etc., is superimposed on a video signal from a CCD camera 1 by a superimposing part 5 so as to be displayed in a display part 6. The video signal from the CCD camera 1 is digitized and average luminances in the respective block frames are calculated by an average luminance calculating part 3 and stored in a FIFO memory 7. MPU 8 fetches the average luminances by the procedure of a movement detection processing part 10b and movement over the blocks is detected by the change. Fetching is executed so as to include the blocks of two respective recognizing windows and a cursor moving among the blocks is displayed. A hand, etc., is vertically moved in one recognizing window so that the block with the cursor is adopted as the detection area. The hand, etc., is moved in the other recognizing window so that the block with the cursor is adopted as the one out of the detection area and, then, the cursor is moved to the next block.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an area setting input device capable of setting a detection area of an image sensor or an image recognition device without using another input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image sensor and an image recognition device, usually,
Image processing is performed by setting a specific area in an image displayed by a video signal from a video camera. In order to set a specific area in such an image, conventionally, for example, a personal computer was connected to an image sensor or an image recognition device and a pointing device such as a mouse was used. However, since such an area setting requires an external device such as a personal computer in addition to the image sensor and the image recognition device main body, it is difficult to reduce the size and cost of the image sensor and the image recognition device main body. was there.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a technique for setting a detection area of an image sensor or an image recognition device without using another input device. The purpose is to do.

[0004]

A video camera for generating a video signal from a subject to be imaged, a block frame generation unit for dividing the entire area of the image represented by the video signal into a plurality of blocks, and a digital video signal An A / D converter, an average luminance calculator for calculating an average luminance of each block of the digital video signal, a motion detector for detecting a motion of an image from a change in the average luminance, and a motion detector for detecting a motion of the image. An area setting section for setting an area, a video signal superimposing section for superimposing a video signal on a block frame to be divided, and a display section for displaying the superimposed video signal are provided, and an area specified from a motion of a subject is set and input.

[0005] The area setting section has a cursor display function for moving each block frame displayed on the display section, a display function of a recognition window frame including at least two block frames, and a function for displaying an object within the recognition window. The block indicated by the cursor is set as a specified area from the movement direction.

[0006] Two recognition windows are provided, and when a motion is detected in one of the recognition windows, the cursor display block is set as a specified area and the cursor display is moved to the next block. When a motion is detected in step (4), only the cursor display is moved to the next block.

[0007] In the motion detection, when the camera moves in two directions, it is detected as a motion.

[0008] A position setting function of the recognition window is provided so that the recognition window can be reset to a position where input is easy.

The number of blocks can be reset by increasing / decreasing the number of blocks from an initial setting by the motion detection.

[0010] A nonvolatile memory section is provided, and the specified area data is stored in the nonvolatile memory.

An output section for the area data specified and set is provided so that the area data can be output to a personal computer or the like.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an embodiment of an area setting input device according to the present invention. Also,
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a block frame superimposed image displayed on a display unit of the region setting input device. An image signal from a CCD camera 1 serving as an input unit of an image sensor or an image processing device is input to the image sensor.
The block frame or the like generated by the frame generation unit 4 is superimposed by the superimposition unit 5, and the image 50 is displayed on the display unit 6 composed of a CRT or the like.
The MPU 8 uses the frame / cursor generation processing unit 1
0a, the frame generation unit 4 is controlled so that each block 11,
12,... Are created as video signals representing the block frame, cursor K, and recognition windows W1, W2. On the other hand, the video signal from the CCD camera 1 is converted into an A / D converter 2
As a digital video signal, an average brightness calculation unit 3 including a summation and division circuit calculates an average brightness from an average of the levels of the video signals in each block frame, and calculates the calculated average brightness of each block in a FIFO (FIFO). First-in first-out) memory 7 is stored. The MPU 8 fetches the average luminance of each block from the FIFO memory 7 according to the procedure of the motion detection processing unit 10b, and obtains C from the change in the average luminance of each block.
The movement of the object of the CD camera 1 between blocks is detected.

The above recognition windows W1, W2 are taken to include, for example, two blocks 34, 44 and 36, 46 at the lower right. The cursor K is displayed in, for example, the upper left block 11. In this state, by moving a hand or the like up and down at a position corresponding to the recognition window W1 of the imaging range of the CCD camera 1, the movement of the image in the recognition window W1 is recognized by the MPU 8 as described above. Based on the recognition result of the movement, the block 11 having the cursor K is set as a detection area according to the procedure of the area setting processing unit 10c, the result is stored in the EEPROM 9 which is a nonvolatile memory, and the cursor K is moved to the next block 21. By moving the hand or the like up and down at a location corresponding to the recognition window W2, the block 11 with the cursor K is out of the detection area, the result is stored in the EEPROM 9, and the cursor K is moved to the next block 21. . Similarly, by dividing each of the blocks 11 to 46 into a detection region and a region outside the detection region, a region to be detected can be set.

If there is a moving background in the imaging range of the CCD camera 1, the above-described motion detection may cause a false recognition. In this case, one recognition window may be configured to include a plurality of blocks in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the movement of the hand or the like may be detected by moving the movement of the hand or the like up and down and left and right. In addition, the setting position of the recognition window in the image 50 can be arbitrarily reset, so that it is possible to provide a place with less malfunction and easy movement of the hand or the like. In this case, for example, the recognition window position setting menu is selected by moving the hand or the like at the position of the corresponding block from the initial menu displayed corresponding to the block in the image 50, and the recognition window is invited by the hand or the like. Thereby, it can be moved to a new position.

The movement of the recognition window is performed in the same manner as described above, and the number of divided blocks in the image 50 is increased or decreased from the initially set number of blocks, and reset, so that the detection area for image processing or the like can be reset finely. Good. The data in the set area is stored in an EEPROM as a nonvolatile memory as described above.
And the like, and used as image processing or a detection area of an image sensor. In addition, by providing an output unit for the set area data and outputting the data to a personal computer or the like, it becomes possible to input various kinds of information by only the movement of the hand or the like by the above-described method.

[0016]

According to the present invention, a video camera for generating a video signal from a subject to be imaged, a block frame generating section for dividing the entire area of the image represented by the video signal into a plurality of blocks, and an A / A converter for converting the video signal into a digital video signal. A D conversion unit, an average luminance calculation unit that calculates an average luminance of each block of the digital video signal, a motion detection unit that detects an image motion from a change in the average luminance, and an area is set based on the motion of the image. An area setting unit, a video signal superimposing unit for superimposing a video signal on a block frame to be divided, and a display unit for displaying the superimposed video signal, and setting and inputting an area specified from a motion of a subject, the image sensor And the detection area of the image recognition device can be easily set without using another input device, and the size and cost of the image sensor and the image processing device can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part block diagram of an embodiment of an area setting input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a block frame superimposed image displayed on a display unit of the area setting input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 CCD camera 2 A / D conversion unit 3 Average luminance calculation unit 4 Frame generation unit 5 Superposition unit 6 Display unit 7 FIFO memory 8 MPU 9 EEPROM 10a Frame / cursor generation processing unit 10b Motion detection processing unit 10c Area setting processing unit 11, 12,..., 46 blocks K cursor W1, W2 recognition window 50 images

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A video camera that generates a video signal from a subject to be imaged, a block frame generation unit that divides an entire area of an image represented by the video signal into a plurality of blocks, and an A / A that converts a video signal into a digital video signal. A D conversion unit, an average luminance calculation unit that calculates an average luminance of each block of the digital video signal, a motion detection unit that detects an image motion from a change in the average luminance, and an area is set based on the motion of the image. An area setting section, a video signal superimposing section for superimposing the video signal with the block frame to be divided, and a display section for displaying the superimposed video signal are provided, and an area specified from the motion of the subject is set and input. Area setting input device. 2. An area setting unit, comprising: a cursor display function for moving each block frame displayed on the display unit; a recognition window frame display function including at least two block frames; 2. The area setting input device according to claim 1, wherein the block indicated by the cursor is set as a specified area based on a moving direction of the subject. 3. When two recognition windows are provided, and when a movement is detected in one of the recognition windows, the cursor display block is set as a specified area, the cursor display is moved to the next block, and the other is displayed. 3. The area setting input device according to claim 2, wherein when a motion is detected in the recognition window, only the cursor display is moved to the next block. 4. The area setting input device according to claim 1, wherein the motion detection is performed as a motion when moving in two directions. 5. The area setting input device according to claim 1, wherein a position setting function of the recognition window is provided so that the position of the recognition window can be reset. 6. The area setting input device according to claim 1, wherein the number of blocks can be reset by increasing or decreasing the number of blocks from an initial setting by the motion detection. 7. The area setting input device according to claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile memory unit, wherein the specified area data is stored in the non-volatile memory. 8. The area setting input device according to claim 1, further comprising an output section for outputting the specified and set area data so that the area data can be output to a personal computer or the like.