Image processing device and a method for the same

An image processing device for stitching a plurality of subject images and generating a rectangular still image from the stitched images, the image processing device comprising:

• an image acquisition unit that acquires the plurality of subject images;
• a positional relationship data generating unit that generates positional relationship data representing a relative positional relationship by which the acquired plurality of subject images are stitched;
• an image area recognition unit that arranges the plurality of subject images according to the positional relationship data, and that recognizes an image existence area defined by a logical sum of the arranged plurality of subject images;
• a rectangular image area determination unit that determines a rectangular image area to be generated from the recognized image existence area;
• and
• a still image extraction unit that extracts the rectangular still image using the plurality of subject images that exist in the determined rectangular image area, the still image extraction unit including
• an image identification unit that identifies a plurality of subject images existing in the determined rectangular image area;
• a block separation unit that separates into one or more blocks that segment a same area for each overlapped subject image an overlapping part of the image for the identified plurality of subject images, the block separation unit including
• a first separation unit that separates vertically and horizontally one of the overlapped plurality of subject images, and acquires a plurality of blocks having the size M pixels X N pixels (M and N are integers of 2 or greater), and
• a second separation unit that acquires blocks for segmenting the same area by matching the subject images other than the one subject image of the plurality of subject image to the position of the block of the one subject image and performing separation;
• a movement determination unit that determines, for each of the blocks, movement of a object existing in the block;
• and
• a still image generating unit that generates the still image using one of the subject images of the plurality of overlapped subject images for the blocks judged for which it is decided that the object has moved a specified amount or more by the movement determination unit, and using the overlapped plurality of subject images for the other blocks, wherein the still image generating unit does not use for generation of the still images a surplus block of a size less than M pixels X N pixels that is generated for the subject image separated by the second separation unit,
• wherein each of the units in the image processing device is executed by an integrated circuit.