Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first image capture controller configured to control the image capturing unit to capture a set of a plurality of images while changing exposure time for each of the images; a second image capture controller configured to obtain a plurality of sets of the images; an addition combination section configured to perform image alignment on the images contained in each of the sets and to perform addition combination on the aligned images to generate a combined image; a combination controller configured to control the addition combination section to perform the image alignment and the addition combination for each of the sets to obtain a plurality of combined images; a selector configured to evaluate the combined images and to select one of the combined images most highly evaluated as a selected image; and a storage configured to store the selected image.

Abstract: The minimum Sum of Absolute Differences obtained by a motion vector search roughly judges the magnitude of quantization error by whether or not exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When the quantization error is lower, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in some of the pixels of the current macroblock is judged based on the amount of flatness and noise detected in each of the 4×4 pixel blocks of the current macroblock partitioned into 16 sub-macroblocks. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected. When the quantization error is higher, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in the current macroblock is judged while considering the magnitude of the motion vector. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected.

Abstract: A bitrate control device controls bitrate of video data and includes: a setting module that sets, for each frame in the video data, a target code amount to be used in encoding the frame by an encoding module for maintaining a given bitrate; an adjusting module that adjusts the target code amount set by the setting module based on given information; and a managing module that is configured to perform: saving a code amount corresponding to an amount reduced in the target code amount by the adjusting module in a virtual storage management buffer having a given upper limit, when the adjusting module adjusts to reduce the target code amount; and withdrawing a code amount corresponding to an amount increased in the target code amount by the adjusting module from the virtual storage management buffer, when the adjusting module adjusts to increase the target code amount.

Abstract: A CODEC compresses and encodes a motion picture captured at a high speed of 240 fps frame rate in MPEG format. The CODEC divides pictures in each frame into I pictures and the main frame P pictures and the other sub frame P pictures. In encoding P pictures of the main frame, the CODEC uses I pictures that are adjacent on the time axis or P pictures of other main frames as a reference picture. With a playback device, etc., of its motion picture playback performance of 60 fps, to perform an actual speed playback with the playback time being equal to the picture-capturing time, only the main frame alone is to be subjected to playback, in that case the decoding process of P pictures of the sub frames is not required.

Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first image capture controller configured to control the image capturing unit to capture a set of a plurality of images while changing exposure time for each of the images; a second image capture controller configured to obtain a plurality of sets of the images; an addition combination section configured to perform image alignment on the images contained in each of the sets and to perform addition combination on the aligned images to generate a combined image; a combination controller configured to control the addition combination section to perform the image alignment and the addition combination for each of the sets to obtain a plurality of combined images; a selector configured to evaluate the combined images and to select one of the combined images most highly evaluated as a selected image; and a storage configured to store the selected image.

Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first image capture controller configured to control the image capturing unit to capture a set of a plurality of images while changing exposure time for each of the images; a second image capture controller configured to obtain a plurality of sets of the images; an addition combination section configured to perform image alignment on the images contained in each of the sets and to perform addition combination on the aligned images to generate a combined image; a combination controller configured to control the addition combination section to perform the image alignment and the addition combination for each of the sets to obtain a plurality of combined images; a selector configured to evaluate the combined images and to select one of the combined images most highly evaluated as a selected image; and a storage configured to store the selected image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises an image capture unit configured to capture an image, a characteristic part detector configured to detect a characteristic part of a face from the image captured by the image capture unit, an outline generator configured to generate a pseudo outline of the face based on positions of the characteristic part detected by the characteristic part detector and a correction unit configured to correct the image based on the pseudo outline generated by the outline generator.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain an image; a generating unit configured to generate a plurality of feature maps for a plurality of features of the image, wherein each of the feature maps corresponds to one of the features of the image; an imaging situation determining unit configured to determine an imaging situation of the image; a weighting unit configured to weight the feature maps in accordance with the imaging situation; and a detector configured to detect a region of interest from the image based on feature distributions of the weighted feature maps.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to capture an image; a specifying unit configured to specify at least one pixel on an edge of the image; a tracking unit configured to track pixels that are similar to the at least one pixel, among peripheral pixels around the at least one pixel; and an estimating unit configured to estimate, as a region of interest, a region other than a region consisting of the pixels tracked by the tracking unit.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging section configured to acquire a plurality of images that are consecutively taken in time series by an imaging device; a reference region setting section configured to employ one of the images acquired by the imaging section as a reference image and to set a region of the reference image as reference region, the region having high-frequency components; and an image processing section configured to combine the images including the reference image by positioning the images so as to overlap subject portions in each images, the subject portions being defined in the reference region set by the reference region setting section.

Abstract: In a digital camera 1, a storing means stores feature quantities of a subject area in an image, and a search point setting means sets a plurality of search points in the subject area. Next, an updating means updates coordinates of the set plurality of search points using random numbers. Then, a weight setting means compares feature quantities of the updated search points with the stored feature quantities, and sets a weight for each search point based on similarity. Next, a sorting means sorts the search points depend on those weight, and a variance acquiring means calculates the variance of the sorted search points. Then, an angle-of-view adjusting means determines the amount of adjustment for the angle-of-view based on the calculated variance.

Abstract: The minimum Sum of Absolute Differences obtained by a motion vector search roughly judges the magnitude of quantization error by whether or not exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When the quantization error is lower, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in some of the pixels of the current macroblock is judged based on the amount of flatness and noise detected in each of the 4×4 pixel blocks of the current macroblock partitioned into 16 sub-macroblocks. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected. When the quantization error is higher, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in the current macroblock is judged while considering the magnitude of the motion vector. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected.

Abstract: An image capture device sets a central vicinity of a frame of a predetermined area as a focus region upon detecting a half-press operation of a shutter button in a through-the-lens image displaying, designates a central vicinity pixel region of the region as a pixel region to be tracked, and determines whether or not the designated pixel region is adequate as an object of tracking. If the pixel region is adequate, the pixel region is tracked until the shutter button is detected as pressed down fully. When a fully-press operation of the shutter button is detected, the frame of a predetermined area is displayed in a fixed manner on a display unit. Upon a detection that a change of the pixel region has occurred, or the pixel region has contacted or exceeded the frame of a predetermined area, a recording processing is started immediately by a high speed consecutive capture.

Abstract: The minimum Sum of Absolute Differences obtained by a motion vector search roughly judges the magnitude of quantization error by whether or not exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When the quantization error is lower, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in some of the pixels of the current macroblock is judged based on the amount of flatness and noise detected in each of the 4x4 pixel blocks of the current macroblock partitioned into 16 sub-macroblocks. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected. When the quantization error is higher, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in the current macroblock is judged while considering the magnitude of the motion vector. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected.

Abstract: A bitrate control device controls bitrate of video data and includes: a setting module that sets, for each frame in the video data, a target code amount to be used in encoding the frame by an encoding module for maintaining a given bitrate; an adjusting module that adjusts the target code amount set by the setting module based on given information; and a managing module that is configured to perform: saving a code amount corresponding to an amount reduced in the target code amount by the adjusting module in a virtual storage management buffer having a given upper limit, when the adjusting module adjusts to reduce the target code amount; and withdrawing a code amount corresponding to an amount increased in the target code amount by the adjusting module from the virtual storage management buffer, when the adjusting module adjusts to increase the target code amount.

Abstract: An image recording comprising: an initialization step of generating a predetermined number of search points in a specified region of an image, a filtering step of updating coordinates of a plurality of search points, comparing a characteristic value of the specified region with a characteristic value of each of the search points after updated in the image, assigning to the search points weights determined so as to be increased in proportion to a degree of similarity therebetween, screening the search points according to the weights, calculating a variance and a weighted average of the coordinates of the screened search points, and an image recording determination step of determining, based on the variance and weighted average of the coordinates of the screened search points, and the tracking range, whether or not to record the image, and recording the image if it is determined to record the image.

Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes: an image capturing unit; a first image capture controller configured to control the image capturing unit to capture a set of a plurality of images while changing exposure time for each of the images; a second image capture controller configured to obtain a plurality of sets of the images; an addition combination section configured to perform image alignment on the images contained in each of the sets and to perform addition combination on the aligned images to generate a combined image; a combination controller configured to control the addition combination section to perform the image alignment and the addition combination for each of the sets to obtain a plurality of combined images; a selector configured to evaluate the combined images and to select one of the combined images most highly evaluated as a selected image; and a storage configured to store the selected image.

Abstract: A bitrate control device controls bitrate of video data and includes: a setting module that sets, for each frame in the video data, a target code amount to be used in encoding the frame by an encoding module for maintaining a given bitrate; an adjusting module that adjusts the target code amount set by the setting module based on given information; and a managing module that is configured to perform: saving a code amount corresponding to an amount reduced in the target code amount by the adjusting module in a virtual storage management buffer having a given upper limit, when the adjusting module adjusts to reduce the target code amount; and withdrawing a code amount corresponding to an amount increased in the target code amount by the adjusting module from the virtual storage management buffer, when the adjusting module adjusts to increase the target code amount.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain an image; a generating unit configured to generate a plurality of feature maps for a plurality of features of the image, wherein each of the feature maps corresponds to one of the features of the image; an imaging situation determining unit configured to determine an imaging situation of the image; a weighting unit configured to weight the feature maps in accordance with the imaging situation; and a detector configured to detect a region of interest from the image based on feature distributions of the weighted feature maps.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to capture an image; a specifying unit configured to specify at least one pixel on an edge of the image; a tracking unit configured to track pixels that are similar to the at least one pixel, among peripheral pixels around the at least one pixel; and an estimating unit configured to estimate, as a region of interest, a region other than a region consisting of the pixels tracked by the tracking unit.