Patent Document ID: 9536317
Application ID: 14799590
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A region segmentation apparatus that divides an image into an object region and a region other than the object region, the apparatus comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and configured for: setting a candidate region for the object region in the image; setting a cost for each of an S link, a T link and an N link in a graph including a point S corresponding the object region, a point T corresponding to the region other than the object region, a point corresponding to each of pixels in the image, the S link connecting a point corresponding to each of the pixels and the point S to each other, the T link connecting a point corresponding to each of the pixels and the point T to each other, and the N link connecting two points corresponding to each pair of adjacent pixels to each other, and performing a graph cut that minimizes the sum of costs set for links to be cut, and judging whether a point corresponding to one of the pixels connected to the point S by a link is present in the graph after performance of graph cut, and if no point is present, performing the graph cut in another graph cut while costs set for all the S links connecting points corresponding to pixels in the candidate region and the point S to each other are increased stepwise in an increment of less than or equal to a predetermined threshold until a point corresponding to one of the pixels connected to the point S by a link appears, and determining whether each of the pixels in the image belongs to the object region or the region other than the object region based on a result of a graph cut performed last; and dividing the image corresponding to the result of the graph cut performed last.