Image processing device and a method for the same

1. An image processing device for stitching a plurality of subject images and generating a rectangular still image from the stitched images, the image processing device comprising:

an image acquisition unit that acquires the plurality of subject images;

a positional relationship data generating unit that generates positional relationship data representing a relative positional relationship by which the acquired plurality of subject images are stitched;

an image area recognition unit that arranges the plurality of subject images according to the positional relationship data, and that recognizes an image existence area defined by a logical sum of the arranged plurality of subject images;

a rectangular image area determination unit that determines a rectangular image area to be generated from the recognized image existence area; and

a still image extraction unit that extracts the rectangular still image using the plurality of subject images that exist in the determined rectangular image area, the still image extraction unit including

an image identification unit that identifies a plurality of subject images existing in the determined rectangular image area;

a block separation unit that separates into one or more blocks that segment a same area for each overlapped subject image an overlapping part of the image for the identified plurality of subject images, the block separation unit including

a first separation unit that separates vertically and horizontally one of the overlapped plurality of subject images, and acquires a plurality of blocks having the size M pixels X N pixels (M and N are integers of 2 or greater), and

a second separation unit that acquires blocks for segmenting the same area by matching the subject images other than the one subject image of the plurality of subject image to the position of the block of the one subject image and performing separation;

a movement determination unit that determines, for each of the blocks, movement of a object existing in the block; and

a still image generating unit that generates the still image using one of the subject images of the plurality of overlapped subject images for the blocks judged for which it is decided that the object has moved a specified amount or more by the movement determination unit, and using the overlapped plurality of subject images for the other blocks, wherein the still image generating unit does not use for generation of the still images a surplus block of a size less than M pixels X N pixels that is generated for the subject image separated by the second separation unit,

wherein each of the units in the image processing device is executed by an integrated circuit.

2. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 wherein

the image area recognition unit recognizes the image existence area by an existence position information of pixels that are included each of the plurality of subject images; and

the rectangular image area determination unit determines the rectangular image area using the existence position information of the pixels.

3. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 or 2 , wherein

the image acquisition unit that acquires a standard subject image specified as the acquisition standard from a moving image including a plurality of the frame images, and at least one of the frame images existing before or after the standard subject image.

4. The image processing device in accordance with claim 3 wherein the plurality of subject images are the frame images acquired at specified intervals from the moving image, including the standard subject image.

5. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition unit that acquires as the subject image an image for which the perimeter of the original image to be acquired is cut off at a specified ratio, when acquiring the plurality of subject images.

6. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the rectangular image area determination unit comprises:

unit that receives a nomination for at least one of the plurality of subject images; and

unit that determines a largest area among the rectangular image area including the specified subject image from the recognized image existence area.

7. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the rectangular image area determination unit comprises:

unit that receives specification of an aspect ratio of the rectangular image area to be determined; and

unit that determines a largest area of the rectangular image area having that aspect ratio from the recognized image existence area.

8. The image processing device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein

the movement determination unit determines movement of the object using the pixel value that specified pixels within the block have.