Image information processing apparatus and its method

Claim 2

An image processing apparatus comprising: a) an input unit, arranged to input image data; b) a dividing unit, arranged to divide the image data inputted by said input unit into blocks, each block being constructed by a plurality of pixels; c) a detecting unit, arranged to detect a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) a classifying unit, arranged to classify at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data in accordance with an output of said detecting unit, wherein said classifying unit classifies a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, divides the boundary block into blocks of a smaller size, and executes a classification of objects; and e) a shape information forming unit, arranged to generate shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to an output of said classifying unit.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said classifying unit classifies a foreground block and a background block for each of the blocks.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said classifying unit classifies a block, which hardly has a motion, as a background block.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said classifying unit classifies blocks having an almost uniform motion as background blocks.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, among blocks having an almost uniform motion, said classifying unit classifies each of the blocks arranged so as to surround other blocks of the blocks having the almost uniform motion as a background block.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said classifying unit classifies each of the other blocks having the almost uniform motion as a foreground block.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, among blocks having an almost uniform motion, said classifying unit classifies each of the blocks in which a number of the almost uniform blocks is maximum, as a background block.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, among blocks having an almost uniform motion, said classifying unit classifies each of the blocks other than the blocks in which the number of the almost uniform blocks is maximum, as a foreground block.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein after a block size of the boundary block was changed, when block classification is again executed, said classifying unit uses a motion of a block which has first been determined to be a background block or a motion of a block which has first been determined to be a foreground block for classification of the boundary block.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an encoding unit, arranged to encode every object classified by said classifying unit.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said classifying unit classifies a block of the first object, a block of the second object, and a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object.

Claim 13

An image processing apparatus comprising: a) an input unit, arranged to input image data; b) a dividing unit, arranged to divide the image data inputted by said input unit into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) a detecting unit, arranged to detect a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) a classifying unit, arranged to classify at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data, in accordance with an output of said detecting unit, wherein said classifying unit classifies a block of the first object, a block of the second object, and a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, and then classifies pixels of an area of the first object, pixels of an area of the second object, and pixels of an area of the boundary, in accordance with an output of said classifying unit; and e) a shape information forming unit, arranged to generate shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to an output of said classifying unit.

Claim 14

An image processing apparatus comprising: a) an input unit, arranged to input image data; b) a dividing unit, arranged to divide the image data inputted by said input unit into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) a detecting unit, arranged to detect a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) a classifying unit, arranged to classify at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data, in accordance with an output of said detecting unit, wherein said classifying unit classifies a block of the first object, a block of the second object, and a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, and then classifies pixels of an area of the first object, pixels of an area of the second object, and pixels of an area of the boundary, in accordance with an output of said classifying unit; and e) a shape information forming unit, arranged to generate shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to an output of said classifying unit.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising an image data forming unit, arranged to generate the image data of the area of the first object and the image data of the area of the boundary, in accordance with an output of said classifying unit.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said shape information forming unit generates the shape information to identify the area of the first object, the area of the second object, and the area of the boundary, in accordance with an output of said classifying unit.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the shape information for identifying the boundary area is calculated in accordance with a pixel value of the pixels of the boundary area, a pixel value of the area of the first object existing at a position that is the nearest to the pixels of the boundary area, and a pixel value of the area of the second object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area, and denotes a ratio of the pixel value of the area of the first or second object included in the pixel value of the boundary area.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the shape information for identifying the boundary area is calculated in accordance with a pixel value and a distance of the pixels of the area of the first object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area and a pixel value and a distance of the pixels of the area of the second object existing at a position that is the nearest to the pixels of the boundary area.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising a synthesizing unit, arranged to synthesize the image data of the first object with another image data by using the shape information.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising an encoding unit, arranged to encode the image data formed by said image data forming unit.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 18 , further comprising a shape information encoding unit, arranged to encode the shape information generated by said shape information forming unit.

Claim 22

An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said image data forming unit sets the image data of the pixels of the boundary area to a pixel value of the area of the first object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area.

Claim 23

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) dividing the inputted image data into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) detecting a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) classifying at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data, in accordance with a result of said detecting step, wherein said classifying step classifies a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, divides the boundary block into blocks of a smaller size, and executes a classification of objects; and e) generating shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to a result of said classifying step.

Claim 24

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) dividing the inputted image data into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) detecting a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) classifying at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data, in accordance with a result of said detecting step, wherein said classifying step classifies a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, divides the boundary block into blocks of a smaller size, and executes a classification of objects; and e) generating shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to a result of said classifying step.

Claim 25

An image processing apparatus comprising: a) input means for inputting image data; b) classifying means for classifying the image data into at least pixels of an area of a first object, pixels of an area of a second object, and pixels of a boundary area existing at a boundary between the first object area and the second object area; c) generating means for generating shape information to identify the area of the first object, the area of the second object, and the boundary area, the shape information of the boundary area being a value that is calculated according to pixel values of pixels of the areas of the first and second objects, which pixels are adjacent to the boundary area; d) image data encoding means for encoding the image data classified by said classifying means; and e) shape information encoding means for encoding the shape information generated by said generating means.

Claim 26

An image processing apparatus comprising: a) input means for inputting image data; b) classifying means for classifying the image data into at least pixels of an area of a first object, pixels of an area of a second object, and pixels of a boundary area existing at a boundary between the first object area and the second object area; c) generating means for generating shape information to identify the area of the first object, the area of the second object, and the boundary area, the shape information of the boundary area being a value that is calculated according to pixel values of pixels of the areas of the first and second objects, which pixels are adjacent to the boundary area; d) image data encoding means for encoding the image data classified by said classifying means; and e) shape information encoding means for encoding the shape information generated by said generating means.

Claim 27

An apparatus according to claim 22 , further comprising image data forming means for generating the image data of the area of the first object and the image data of the boundary area, in accordance with an output of said classifying means, wherein said image data encoding means encodes the image data generated by said image data forming means.

Claim 28

An apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein said image data forming means sets the image data of the pixels of the boundary area to a pixel value of the area of the first object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the shape information for identifying the boundary area is calculated in accordance with a pixel value and a distance of the pixels of the area of the first object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area and a pixel value and a distance of the pixels of the area of the second object existing at a position that is nearest to the pixels of the boundary area.

Claim 30

An apparatus according to claim 22 , further comprising decoding means for decoding the encoded image data.

Claim 31

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) classifying the image data into at least pixels of an area of a first object, pixels of an area of a second object, and pixels of a boundary area existing at a boundary between the area of the first object and the area of the second object; c) generating shape information to identify the area of the first object, the area of the second object, and the boundary area, the shape information of the boundary area being a value that is calculated according to pixel values of pixels of the areas of the first and second objects, which pixels are adjacent to the boundary area; d) encoding the image data classified in said classifying step; and e) encoding the shape information generated in said generating step.

Claim 32

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) classifying the image data into at least pixels of an area of a first object, pixels of an area of a second object, and pixels of a boundary area existing at a boundary between the area of the first object and the area of the second object; c) generating shape information to identify the area of the first object, the area of the second object, and the boundary area, the shape information of the boundary area being a value that is calculated according to pixel values of pixels of the areas of the first and second objects, which pixels are adjacent to the boundary area; d) encoding the image data classified in said classifying step; and e) encoding the shape information generated in said generating step.

Claim 33

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) dividing inputted image data into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) detecting a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) classifying at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data in accordance with a result of said detecting step, wherein said classifying step classifies a block of the first object, a block of the second object, and a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, and then classifies pixels of an area of the first object, pixels of an area of the second object, and pixels of an area of the boundary; and e) generating shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to a result of said classifying step.

Claim 34

An image processing method comprising the steps of: a) inputting image data; b) dividing inputted image data into blocks, each of the blocks being constructed of a plurality of pixels; c) detecting a motion of the image data for each of the blocks; d) classifying at least image data of a first object and image data of a second object from the image data in accordance with a result of said detecting step, wherein said classifying step classifies a block of the first object, a block of the second object, and a boundary block existing at a boundary between the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, and then classifies pixels of an area of the first object, pixels of an area of the second object, and pixels of an area of the boundary; and e) generating shape information for discriminating the image data of the first object and the image data of the second object, according to a result of said classifying step.