Patent ID: 7526127
Filing Date: 2009-04-28
Classification: G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. An image segmentation apparatus in which a region belonging to the same category is specified from an input image by a pixel unit to identify an image segmentation region, and an image of an optional image segmentation region is selectively output, the apparatus comprising: an input image memory in which each pixel value of the input image is stored; a cell network including: a coupling weight calculation circuit which calculates the coupling weight between the adjacent cells based on the pixel value corresponding to each of the plurality of cells, the calculated coupling weight being held in the plurality of coupling weight registers; a leader cell determination circuit to determine a cell whose sum of coupling weights with the adjacent cell exceeds a standard value as the leader cell based on the coupling weight calculated by the coupling weight calculation circuit; region distinguishing means for repeatedly executing the processing including deciding from a held value of the coupling weight register disposed adjacent to each of the plurality of cells whether or not ignition is possible, shifting the leader cell determined by the leader cell determination circuit into the ignited state in order, and selecting the ignitable cell from the adjacent cells to shift the ignitable cell into the ignited state, and distinguishing the image segmentation region from the region of the cell brought into the ignited state; a divided region storage circuit to store information of all the cells in which the image segmentation region is distinguished; and an output image memory in which the pixel value corresponding to each cell of an optional image segmentation region is stored based on a stored content of the divided region storage circuit, the cell including: a register group to store a signal xi indicating the ignited state, a variable pi indicating whether or not self-ignition is possible, a variable ni for a self-ignition permission control signal, and a variable li indicating whether or not the cell is included in the divided region subjected to the image segmentation, the region distinguishing means including: