Patent ID: 7405768

Claim:
An apparatus for determining image region, said apparatus comprising: first determining device for determining whether a target pixel position is included in a motion region or a still region by using items of pixel data on first and second pixel positions arranged in a time direction, said first and second pixel positions corresponding to the target pixel position; storage device for storing history information on a determined result of said first determining device comprising information representing that the target pixel position is determined as being in or not being in a still region; and second determining device for finally determining that said target pixel position is included in the motion region or the still region, based on the history information on the determined result of a past predetermined time, said history information being stored in the storage device, said determined result corresponding to the target position, and said determined result of the first determining device, wherein the history information comprises a count representing number of consecutive times that the target pixel is determined to fall either in a motion region or in a still region and the value of the count is set to a predetermined value upon interruption of consecutive times that the targeted pixel is determined to fall either in a motion region or in a still region.