ROI setting method and apparatus, electronic camera apparatus, program, and recording medium

Abstract

An ROI setting apparatus including an ROI recognition unit and an ROI control unit is provided. In one embodiment, the ROI recognition unit contains multiple ROI recognition modules for recognizing an ROI of image data according to various methods to obtain a recognition result. The ROI control unit selects one ROI recognition module out of the ROI recognition modules and sets ROI information based on the recognition result. The ROI recognition module may be selected according to an instruction from a user input via an operation unit, or a scene type selected by a scene selection switch of an image capture unit. The ROI control unit may perform operations such as selecting, enlarging, or reducing the ROI recognized by the ROI recognition module, or changing the ROI recognition conditions according to the respective instructions from the user input via the operation unit.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An ROI setting apparatus comprising: 
 a plurality of ROI recognition modules each for recognizing an ROI of image data according to a predetermined method and to obtain a recognition result; and    an ROI control unit adapted to select an ROI recognition module out of the plurality of ROI recognition modules and set ROI information based on the recognition result obtained by the selected ROI recognition module.    
     
     
         2 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ROI control unit selects the ROI recognition module according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         3 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ROI control unit selects the ROI recognition module according to a scene type selected by a user.  
     
     
         4 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ROI control unit sets the ROI information based on a region selected out of a plurality of regions recognized by the selected ROI recognition module, the region being selected according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         5 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ROI control unit changes a size of a region recognized by the selected ROI recognition module according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         6 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ROI recognition modules each include a recognition condition and the ROI control unit changes the recognition condition of the selected ROI recognition module according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         7 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a region of the image data containing a face and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         8 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a region of the image data in which high frequency components are concentrated and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         9 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a region of the image data in which patterns having a striking contrast are concentrated and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         10 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition module to detect a region at a center portion of the image data containing an object and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         11 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to use an AF evaluation region used in an image capturing operation of the image data as a base image to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         12 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to use an AE evaluation region used in an image capturing operation of the image data as a base image to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         13 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a region of the image data in which movement occurs and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         14 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to extract a region of the image data that is significantly brighter than a corresponding region of monitoring image data obtained right before an image capturing operation and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         15 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a high brightness region of the image data and using the region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         16 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to detect a high brightness region of the image data, subtracting from the region a high brightness region portion at a predetermined portion of the image data, and using the resulting region as a base region to recognize the ROI.  
     
     
         17 . The ROI setting apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ROI recognition modules to recognize the ROI based on a packet size of compressed data of the image data.  
     
     
         18 . An electronic camera apparatus comprising: 
 an ROI setting apparatus having a plurality of ROI recognition modules each for recognizing an ROI of image data according to a predetermined method to obtain a recognition result, and an ROI control unit to select an ROI recognition module out of the plurality of ROI recognition modules and set ROI information based on the recognition result obtained by the selected ROI recognition module.    
     
     
         19 . A computer readable recording medium adapted to store a program administering a computer to function as a plurality of ROI recognition modules to recognize an ROI of image data according to a predetermined ROI recognition method to obtain a recognition result, and an ROI control unit for selecting one ROI recognition module out of the plurality of ROI recognition modules and setting ROI information based on the recognition result obtained by the selected ROI recognition module, the ROI recognition module and the ROI control unit being implemented in an ROI setting apparatus.  
     
     
         20 . An ROI setting method comprising: 
 selecting an ROI recognition method out of a plurality of ROI recognition methods;    recognizing an ROI of image data using the ROI recognition method to obtain a recognition result; and    setting ROI information based on the recognition result.    
     
     
         21 . The ROI setting method as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein selecting the ROI recognition method includes selecting the ROI recognition method according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         22 . The ROI setting method as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein selecting the ROI recognition method includes selecting an ROI recognition method according to a scene type selected by a user.  
     
     
         23 . The ROI setting method as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein setting ROI information includes setting the ROI information based on a region selected out of a plurality of regions recognized as the ROI, the region being selected according to an instruction from a user  
     
     
         24 . The ROI setting method as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein recognizing the ROI includes changing a size of a region recognized as the ROI according to an instruction from a user.  
     
     
         25 . The ROI setting method as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein each of the plurality of ROI recognition methods includes a recognition condition, and further wherein recognizing the ROI includes changing a recognition condition according to an instruction from a user.