IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, DATA RECORDING MEDIUM, PROGRAM RECORDING MEDIUM, AND PROGRAM THEREFOR

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a feature value extractor configured to extract a feature value from an image; a setting unit configured to set setting information for applying a process to the image; and a recorder configured to record the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the concept of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the concept of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the structure of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary structure of a feature value extractor shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary structure of an image signal;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary structure of a synchronization detector shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a feature-value extracting process shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the feature-value extracting process shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a synchronization detecting process shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the synchronization detecting process shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a chart describing the image processing operation performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another exemplary structure of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary structure of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a chart describing the image processing operation performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary structure of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of an image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a diagram of the image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary structure of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a formatting process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a chart describing the formatting process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of yet another exemplary structure of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of an image processing process performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a chart describing the image processing operation performed by the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 24; and

FIG. 27 is a diagram of a personal computer.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: feature-value extracting means for extracting a feature value from an image;setting means for setting setting information for applying a process to the image; andrecording means for recording the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature-value extracting means extracts a sum of pixel values of pixels within a predetermined region included in the image as the feature value.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operation means for performing an operation specifying the process to be applied to the image, wherein the setting means sets the setting information for applying the process to the image on the basis of details of the operation of the operation means, andwherein the recording means records the details of the operation in association with the feature value of the image in the data recording medium.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when the details of the operation of the operation means specifying the process to be applied to the image are to specify a relative process with respect to the immediately preceding process applied to the image, the recording means records, in association with the feature value of the image, the details of the operation and setting information based on the immediately preceding process in the data recording medium.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means records the feature value of the image at a first address in the data recording medium and the setting information at a second address associated with the first address.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means records a table in which the feature value of the image is associated with the setting information in the data recording medium.

7. An image processing method comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value from an image;setting setting information for applying a process to the image; andrecording the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

8. A program recording medium having a computer-readable program recorded therein, the program comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value from an image;setting setting information for applying a process to the image; andrecording the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

9. A program for allowing a computer to execute a process comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value from an image;setting setting information for applying a process to the image; andrecording the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

10. A data recording medium comprising a data structure in which setting information for applying a process to an image is recorded in association with a feature value of the image.

11. The data recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the data recording medium is a removable medium.

12. An image processing apparatus comprising: playback-position feature-value extracting means for extracting a feature value at a playback position as a playback-position feature value from an image at the playback position;synchronizing means for synchronizing, with the playback-position feature value, a feature value in a data recording medium in which setting information for applying a process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image;reading means for reading, when the feature value in the data recording medium is synchronized with the playback-position feature value by the synchronizing means, setting information recorded in association with the synchronized playback-position feature value from the data recording medium; andreflecting means for reflecting the process applied to the image at the playback position on the basis of the setting information read by the reading means.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the synchronizing means includes search-position feature-value extracting means for sequentially extracting, from the data recording medium in which the setting information for applying the process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image, the feature value as a search-position feature value, andcomparing means for sequentially comparing the playback-position feature value with the search-position feature value,wherein, when a comparison result shows that the playback-position feature value matches the search-position feature value, it is regarded that the feature value in the data recording medium in which the setting information for applying the process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image is synchronized with the playback-position feature value.

14. An image processing method comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value at a playback position as a playback-position feature value from an image at the playback position;synchronizing, with the playback-position feature value, a feature value in a data recording medium in which setting information for applying a process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image;reading, when the feature value in the data recording medium is synchronized with the playback-position feature value, setting information recorded in association with the synchronized playback-position feature value from the data recording medium; andreflecting the process applied to the image at the playback position on the basis of the read setting information.

15. A program recording medium having a computer-readable program recorded therein, the program comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value at a playback position as a playback-position feature value from an image at the playback position;synchronizing, with the playback-position feature value, a feature value in a data recording medium in which setting information for applying a process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image;reading, when the feature value in the data recording medium is synchronized with the playback-position feature value, setting information recorded in association with the synchronized playback-position feature value from the data recording medium; andreflecting the process applied to the image at the playback position on the basis of the read setting information.

16. A program for allowing a computer to execute a process comprising the steps of: extracting a feature value at a playback position as a playback-position feature value from an image at the playback position;synchronizing, with the playback-position feature value, a feature value in a data recording medium in which setting information for applying a process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image;reading, when the feature value in the data recording medium is synchronized with the playback-position feature value, setting information recorded in association with the synchronized playback-position feature value from the data recording medium; andreflecting the process applied to the image at the playback position on the basis of the read setting information.

17. An image processing apparatus comprising: a feature value extractor configured to extract a feature value from an image;a setting unit configured to set setting information for applying a process to the image; anda recorder configured to record the setting information in association with the feature value of the image in a data recording medium.

18. An image processing apparatus comprising: a playback-position feature-value extractor configured to extract a feature value at a playback position as a playback-position feature value from an image at the playback position;a synchronizing unit configured to synchronize, with the playback-position feature value, a feature value in a data recording medium in which setting information for applying a process to the image is recorded in association with the feature value of the image;a reader configured to read, when the feature value in the data recording medium is synchronized with the playback-position feature value by the synchronizing unit, setting information recorded in association with the synchronized playback-position feature value from the data recording medium; anda reflecting unit configured to reflect the process in the image at the playback position on the basis of the setting information read by the reading means.