The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 01, 2013
Filed:
May. 06, 2010
Kazuki Aisaka, Kanagawa, JP;
Masaya Kinoshita, Kanagawa, JP;
Takashi Kameya, Kanagawa, JP;
Jun Murayama, Tokyo, JP;
Masatoshi Yokokawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Kazuki Aisaka, Kanagawa, JP;
Masaya Kinoshita, Kanagawa, JP;
Takashi Kameya, Kanagawa, JP;
Jun Murayama, Tokyo, JP;
Masatoshi Yokokawa, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and a program that make it possible to more accurately specify a photographic subject in an image. A photographic subject map generating unitgenerates, based on an input image, a photographic subject map indicating the likeliness of each region of the input image being a region of a photographic subject. A gradient map generating unitgenerates a gradient map indicating the degree of change of the likeliness of the photographic subject map being a photographic subject. A threshold processing unitand a threshold processing unitbinarize the gradient map using a high threshold THh and a low threshold TH, and obtain threshold maps. A composite map generating unitgenerates a composite map indicating the likeliness of each region of the input image being a photographic subject by regarding that, among regions specified as being likely to be a photographic subject based on the threshold map of the low threshold TH, a region including a region specified as being likely to be a photographic subject based on the threshold map of the high threshold THh is a region of a photographic subject. The present invention is applicable to an image processing apparatus.