Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus for extracting images from a continuous image sequence, the image processing apparatus comprising:

• a storage unit that stores image information about images constituting the image sequence;
• an image reading unit that reads the image information from the storage unit;
• an image change amount calculating unit that calculates a predetermined image change amount between at least two images using the image information read by the image reading unit;
• an image change amount information adding unit that adds information about the image change amount calculated by the image change amount calculating unit to a corresponding image;
• a feature value calculating unit that calculates at least a statistical amount of pixel values as a feature value of each image contained in the image information read by the image reading unit;
• and
• an image extracting unit that extracts an image from the image sequence based on the feature value of each image calculated by the feature value calculating unit and the information added to each image by the image change amount information adding unit, wherein
• the image extracting unit extracts an image based on the information added to each image by the image change amount information adding unit, while excluding an image about which it is determined that the image is inappropriate as an image to be extracted based on the statistical amount of pixel values of each image calculated by the feature value calculating unit.

An image processing method performed by a computer that enables extracting images from a continuous image sequence and includes a storage unit which stores image information about images constituting the image sequence, the image processing method comprising:

• reading the image information from the storage unit;
• calculating a predetermined image change amount between at least two images using the read image information;
• adding information about the calculated image change amount to a corresponding image;
• extracting a preset number of images from the image sequence based on the information added to each image;
• and
• rearranging the images based on the information added to each image by the adding information step, and extracting images from the image sequence, using a result of the rearranging.

A computer readable storage device having a computer program product including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer that enables extracting images from a continuous image sequence and includes a storage unit which stores image information about images constituting the image sequence, cause the computer to perform:

• reading the image information from the storage unit;
• calculating a predetermined image change amount between at least two images using the read image information;
• adding information about the calculated image change amount to a corresponding image;
• extracting a preset number of images from the image sequence based on the information added to each image;
• and
• rearranging the images based on the information added to each image by the adding information step, and extracting images from the image sequence, using a result of the rearranging.