Image data processing apparatus and method, and image data processing program

An image data processing apparatus comprising:

• particular image detection means for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning means for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection means, an area of the existing particular image by different types of partitioning processing;
• appropriateness calculation means for calculating an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape of each of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the area partitioning means is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• comparison judgment means for comparing the appropriateness degree calculated by the appropriateness calculation means with a given value;
• control means for repeating, when the comparison judgment means judges that the appropriateness degree is not more than the given value, a sequence comprising area partitioning processing performed by the other area partitioning means, appropriateness calculation processing performed by the appropriateness calculation means, and comparison judgment processing performed by the comparison judgment means until the comparison judgment means judges that the appropriateness degree exceeding the predetermined value is obtained;
• first output means for outputting, when the comparison judgment means judges that the appropriateness degree exceeds the given value, data representing the partitioned area obtained by the area partitioning means;
• and
• second output means for outputting, when all of the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the area partitioning means are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

An image data processing apparatus comprising:

• particular image detection means for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning means for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection means, an area of the existing particular image by different types of partitioning processing;
• appropriateness calculation means for calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of area partitioning means, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• and
• first output means for outputting data representing an OR area of the one or the plurality of partitioned areas, excluding the partitioned area for which the appropriateness degree of not more than a given value is calculated, obtained by the area partitioning means;
• and
• second output means for outputting, when all the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the area partitioning means are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

An image data processing method comprising the steps of:

• detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected, an area of the existing particular image by a plurality of different types of partitioning processing;
• calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of partitioning processing, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• and
• outputting data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated on the basis of the calculated appropriateness degrees,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

An image data processing method comprising the steps of:

• detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected, an area of the existing particular image by one of a plurality of different types of partitioning processing;
• calculating an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape of each of partitioned areas obtained by the partitioning is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• comparing the calculated appropriateness degree with a given value;
• repeating, when the appropriateness degree is not more than the given value, a sequence comprising the other area partitioning processing, appropriateness calculation processing, and comparison processing until the appropriateness degree exceeding the given value is obtained;
• outputting, when the appropriateness degree exceeds the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the appropriateness degree is calculated;
• and
• outputting, when all the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the types of partitioning processing are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

An image data processing method comprising the steps of:

• detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected, an area of the existing particular image by a plurality of different types of partitioning processing;
• calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of partitioning processing, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• outputting data representing an OR area of the one or the plurality of partitioned areas, excluding the partitioned area for which the appropriateness degree of not more than a given value is calculated;
• and
• outputting, when all the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the types of partitioning processing are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A computer-readable medium bearing software instructions for enabling a computer to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations comprising:

• particular image detection processing for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning processing for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection processing, an area of the existing particular image;
• appropriateness calculation processing for calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of area partitioning processing, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing of a contour of the particular image;
• and
• output processing for outputting data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated on the basis of the appropriateness degrees calculated by the appropriateness calculation processing,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A computer-readable medium bearing software instructions for enabling a computer to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations comprising:

• particular image detection processing for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning processing for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection processing, an area of the existing particular image;
• appropriateness calculation processing for calculating an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape of the partitioned area obtained by the area partitioning processing is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• comparison judgment processing for comparing the appropriateness degree calculated by the appropriateness calculation processing with a given value;
• control processing for repeating, when it is judged by the comparison judgment processing that the appropriateness degree is not more than the given value, a sequence comprising the other area partitioning processing, the appropriateness calculation processing, and the comparison judgment processing until it is judged by the comparison judgment processing that the appropriateness degree exceeding the given value is obtained;
• first output processing for outputting, when it is judged by the comparison judgment processing that the appropriateness degree exceeds the given value, data representing the partitioned area obtained by the area partitioning processing;
• and
• second output processing for outputting, when all of the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the types of area partitioning processing are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A computer-readable medium bearing software instructions for enabling a computer to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations comprising:

• particular image detection processing for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning processing for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection processing, an area of the existing particular image;
• appropriateness calculation processing for calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of area partitioning processing, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the partitioned area;
• first output processing for outputting data representing an OR area of the one or the plurality of partitioned areas, excluding the partitioned area for which the appropriateness degree of not more than a given value is calculated, obtained by the area partitioning processing;
• and
• second output processing for outputting, when all the appropriateness degrees for the partitioned areas respectively obtained by all the types of area partitioning processing are not more than the given value, data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A particular image area partitioning apparatus comprising:

• particular image detection means for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• first particular image area partitioning means for partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection means, an area of the existing particular image, to output data representing the partitioned area;
• and
• second particular image area partitioning means for dividing, when the existence of particular image is not detected by the particular image detection means, the image represented by the given image data into particular image color areas representing the color of the particular image and the other color areas, and outputting, out of the particular image color areas, data representing the particular image color area having a shape conforming to the shape of the particular image,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A particular image area partitioning method comprising the steps of:

• detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected, an area of the existing particular image, to output data representing the partitioned area;
• and
• dividing, when the existence of particular image is not detected, the image represented by the given image data into particular image color areas representing the color of the particular image and the other color areas, and outputting, out of the particular image color areas, data representing the particular image color area having a shape conforming to the shape of the particular image,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

A computer-readable medium bearing software instructions for enabling a computer to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations comprising:

• particular image detection processing for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by image data given from a storage device;
• first area partitioning processing for partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection processing, an area of the existing particular image, to output data representing the partitioned area;
• and
• second area partitioning processing for dividing, when the existence of particular image is not detected by the particular image detection processing, the image represented by the given image data into particular image color areas representing the color of the particular image and the other color areas, and outputting, out of the particular image color areas, data representing the particular image color area having a shape conforming to the shape of the particular image,
• wherein the particular image is a face area.

An image data processing apparatus comprising:

• particular image detection means for detecting whether or not a particular image exists in an image represented by given image data;
• a plurality of types of area partitioning means for respectively partitioning off, when the existence of particular image is detected by the particular image detection means, an area of the existing particular image by different types of partitioning processing;
• appropriateness calculation means for calculating, with respect to each of a plurality of partitioned areas respectively obtained by the plurality of types of area partitioning means, an appropriateness degree representing the degree to which the shape thereof is appropriate as a partitioning shape representing a contour of the particular image;
• and
• output means for outputting data representing the partitioned area for which the highest appropriateness degree is calculated on the basis of the plurality of appropriateness degrees calculated by the appropriateness calculation means,
• wherein the appropriateness calculation means calculates the appropriateness degree using a roundness of the shape of the partitioned area, or using a shape of skin-colored pixels, and
• wherein, if the appropriateness calculation means calculates the appropriateness degree using the roundness of the shape of the partitioned area, the appropriateness degree corresponds to the degree of similarity between the roundness of the shape of the partitioned area and a roundness of an ellipse.