Abstract: An information processing system that includes a user interface that receives an input by a user; a life rhythm analyzing unit that analyzes the user's life rhythm based on information collected by a sensor for the analysis; and a content transmitting unit that acquires the input and analysis result of the life rhythm of the user from the life rhythm analyzing unit and provides content based on the input and the analysis result.

Abstract: An image acquisition unit of an information processing device acquires data for a moving image including an image of a user and captured by an image capturing device. A tracking processing unit uses a particle filter to perform visual tracking in the moving image so as to estimate a head contour of the user. A gesture detection unit identifies a facial region in an area inside the head contour, acquires a parameter indicating the orientation of the face, and keeping a history of parameters. When time-dependent change in the orientation of the face meets a predetermined criterion, it is determined that a gesture is made. The output data generation unit generates output data dependent on a result of detecting a gesture. The output control unit controls the generated output data so as to display the data on the display, for example.

Abstract: An edge extracting unit of a contour image generator generates an edge image of an input image using an edge extraction filter, etc. A foreground processing unit extracts the foreground from the input image using a background image and expands the foreground to generate an expanded foreground image. The foreground processing unit further generates a foreground boundary image constructed of the boundary of the expanded foreground region. A mask unit masks the edge image using the expanded foreground image to eliminate edges in the background. A synthesis unit synthesizes the masked edge image and the foreground boundary image to generate a contour image.

Abstract: A positional data acquisition unit of an action detector acquires positional data indicating the position of an image of a light-emitting part of a light-emitting device held by a user in an image frame at each time step, and also acquires curve data for the head contour at each time step estimated as a result of visual tracking by a tracking processor. A history storage unit stores a history of the positional data for an image of a light-emitting part and the curved data for the head contour. A determination criteria storage unit stores the criteria for determining that a predefined action is performed by referring to the time-dependent change in the relative position of the image of the light-emitting part in relation to the curve representing the head contour. An action determination unit determines whether the action is performed based on the actual data.

Abstract: By a method such as foreground extraction or facial extraction, the area of a target object is detected from an input image, and the feature amount such as the center of gravity, size, and inclination is acquired. Using the value of a temporarily-set internal parameter, edge image generation, particle generation, and transition are carried out, and a contour is estimated by obtaining the probability density distribution by observing the likelihood. Comparing a feature amount obtained from the estimated contour and a feature amount of the area of the target object, the temporarily setting is reset by determining that the value for the temporary setting is not appropriate when the degree of matching of the both is smaller than a reference value. When the degree of matching is larger than the reference value, the value of the parameter is determined to be the final value.

Abstract: Referring to FIG. 5, the tracking start-and-stop determining unit 28 of the tracking processing unit 26 determines the starting and stopping of tracking based on predetermined conditions. During the tracking, the sampling unit 29 creates or eliminates particles using the probability density distribution estimated for an immediately preceding image frame. The observation unit causes the particles to make a transition according to a predetermined motion model and observes the likelihoods of a candidate curves defined by the particles. The correction unit 32 compares the color histogram of an area located at a predetermined position relative to the candidate curve with the color histogram of an area similarly located relative to the curve determined as a result of tracking in the immediately preceding image frame. If the matching score is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the likelihood of the candidate curve is increased by correction.

Abstract: A face detection processing unit performs a face detection process by rotating an image in increments of a predetermined angle and acquires a rotation angle at which a face is detected. An angle correction unit acquires an angle between the face and a shoulder by pattern matching and corrects the rotation angle of the image. A human-image orientation identification unit identifies a correct orientation of a human image based on the rotation angle. An image-characteristic analysis unit analyzes a frequency distribution and a brightness distribution of a non-human image. A non-human image orientation identification unit identifies the correct orientation of a non-human image based on distribution characteristics of a frequency of brightness with respect to an axis in a predetermined direction. An image-data updating unit incorporates information regarding the correct orientation in the image data.

Abstract: A photograph classification unit classifies the photographs for each scene in a music-feature information determination unit. A photograph feature acquisition unit identifies a feature of the photograph based on additional information of the photograph and a result of face recognition of the image. A tempo determination unit determines a tempo of music based on a time zone of image capturing, a range of the number of people captured in a photograph, the degree of smile, activities, etc. A melody determination unit determines information that confines a title, a feature value, a genre, etc., based on an event, a time zone, and a season at the time of image capturing, a city and a country in which the image capturing has occurred, etc. Based on the determined feature of the music, a music data output unit extracts and then presents matching music.

Abstract: In a position history analysis unit for analyzing a position history to acquire movement history information such as places of stay, a speed history computation unit refers to the position history to determine a speed occurring at each point of time and to obtain a speed history. A categorization unit organizes a time axis in the position history, and, ultimately, data for position coordinates occurring at respective points of time, into segments of stay and segments of movement, by checking the speed history against a threshold value. A merge unit detects segments of stay which occur at different points of time but which are identified as indicating stays in the same place, by feeding the time flow, categorized into segments of stay and segments of movement by the categorization unit based on the speed, back to the position coordinates in the respective segments. The merge unit merges the segments of stay as needed.

Abstract: To provide an operation input device capable of realizing operation input by changing the posture of the operation input device even without a posture determining sensor. This is an operation input device for use by a user while being held by his/her hand, for obtaining a captured image captured by an image capturing unit provided to the operation input device, and determining the posture of the operation input device, based on the result of analysis on the captured image obtained.

Abstract: Candidate contour curves for a tracking object in the current frame are determined using a particle filter, based on the existence probability distribution of the tracking object in a frame which is one frame previous to the current frame. To match a candidate curve against a contour image of the current frame, a processing to search for the closest contour to the candidate curves is divided for each knot constituting the candidate contour curve and is executed in parallel by a plurality of processors. Each image data on a search region for each knot to be processed are copied from a contour image stored in an image storage to the respective local memories.

Abstract: An edge extracting unit of a contour image generator generates an edge image of an input image using an edge extraction filter, etc. A foreground processing unites extracts the foreground from the input image using a background image and expands the foreground to generate an expanded foreground image. The foreground processing unit further generates a foreground boundary image constructed of the boundary of the expanded foreground region. A mask unit masks the edge image using the expanded foreground image to eliminate edges in the background. A synthesis unit synthesizes the masked edge image and the foreground boundary image to generate a contour image.

Abstract: An image acquisition unit of an information processing device acquires data for moving image including an image of a user and captured by an image capturing device. An initial processing unit determines correspondence between an amount of movement of the user and a parameter defining an image to be ultimately output in a conversion information storage unit. A tracking processing unit uses a particle filter to perform visual tracking in the moving image so as to estimate the magnification and translation amount of the user's head contour. The input value conversion unit converts the amount of movement of the user into the parameter defining an image using the magnification and the translation amount as parameters. The output data generation unit generates an image based on the parameter. The output control unit controls the generated image so as to be displayed on a display device.

Abstract: An image acquisition unit of an information processing device acquires data for a moving image including an image of a user and captured by an image capturing device. A tracking processing unit uses a particle filter to perform visual tracking in the moving image so as to estimate a head contour of the user. A gesture detection unit identifies a facial region in an area inside the head contour, acquires a parameter indicating the orientation of the face, and keeping a history of parameters. When time-dependent change in the orientation of the face meets a predetermined criterion, it is determined that a gesture is made. The output data generation unit generates output data dependent on a result of detecting a gesture. The output control unit controls the generated output data so as to display the data on the display, for example.

Abstract: An edge image of the image frame is created after it is determined to start tracking. Meanwhile, a particle is distributed in a space of a coefficient set for each control point sequence when the control point sequence of a B-spline curve representing the shape of the target object is represented in a linear combination of control point sequence of a B-spline curve representing a plurality of reference shapes that are made available in advance. A particle is also distributed in the space of a shape-space vector, the likelihood of each particle is observed, and the probability density distribution is acquired. A curve obtained by weighting parameters by the probability density distribution and then averaging the weighted parameters is created as a tracking result.

Abstract: In a position history analysis unit for analyzing a position history to acquire movement history information such as places of stay, a speed history computation unit refers to the position history to determine a speed occurring at each point of time and to obtain a speed history. A categorization unit organizes a time axis in the position history, and, ultimately, data for position coordinates occurring at respective points of time, into segments of stay and segments of movement, by checking the speed history against a threshold value. A merge unit detects segments of stay which occur at different points of time but which are identified as indicating stays in the same place, by feeding the time flow, categorized into segments of stay and segments of movement by the categorization unit based on the speed, back to the position coordinates in the respective segments. The merge unit merges the segments of stay as needed.

Abstract: A tracking start-and-stop determining unit of a tracking processing unit determines whether to start or stop tracking based on a predetermined condition. During tracking, a sampling unit 29 creates or eliminates particles using a probability density distribution estimated for the previous image frame. A first to nth model tracking units transit the particles according to motion models respectively assigned, and observe the likelihood of a candidate curve corresponding to each particle with respect to an edge image generated by an image processing unit. A tracking integration unit determines a motion model which causes the highest likelihood, and estimates a probability density distribution using an observation likelihood based on the motion model.

Abstract: Candidate contour curves for a tracking object in the current frame are determined using a particle filter, based on the existence probability distribution of the tracking object in a frame which is one frame previous to the current frame. To match a candidate curve against a contour image of the current frame, a processing to search for the closest contour to the candidate curves is divided for each knot constituting the candidate contour curve and is executed in parallel by a plurality of processors. Each image data on a search region for each knot to be processed are copied from a contour image stored in an image storage to the respective local memories.

Abstract: A positional data acquisition unit of an action detector acquires positional data indicating the position of an image of a light-emitting part of a light-emitting device held by a user in an image frame at each time step, and also acquires curve data for the head contour at each time step estimated as a result of visual tracking by a tracking processor. A history storage unit stores a history of the positional data for an image of a light-emitting part and the curved data for the head contour. A determination criteria storage unit stores the criteria for determining that a predefined action is performed by referring to the time-dependent change in the relative position of the image of the light-emitting part in relation to the curve representing the head contour. An action determination unit determines whether the action is performed based on the actual data.

Abstract: Referring to FIG. 5, the tracking start-and-stop determining unit 28 of the tracking processing unit 26 determines the starting and stopping of tracking based on predetermined conditions. During the tracking, the sampling unit 29 creates or eliminates particles using the probability density distribution estimated for an immediately preceding image frame. The observation unit causes the particles to make a transition according to a predetermined motion model and observes the likelihoods of a candidate curves defined by the particles. The correction unit 32 compares the color histogram of an area located at a predetermined position relative to the candidate curve with the color histogram of an area similarly located relative to the curve determined as a result of tracking in the immediately preceding image frame. If the matching score is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the likelihood of the candidate curve is increased by correction.