Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable storage medium

1. An image processing apparatus comprising a computer executing instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to function as:

an extraction unit configured to extract a foreground region in a captured image, using a background difference method;

a specification unit configured to specify, using an image characteristic of a person, a person region corresponding to the person in the captured image; and

an output unit configured to output an output image obtained by superimposing, on an image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a first part of the foreground region, the first part of the foreground region being included in the person region specified by the specification unit, but by not superimposing, on the image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a second part of the foreground region, the second part of the foreground region not being included in the person region specified by the specification unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the obscuring image for obscuring the first part of the foreground region is a silhouette image obtained by filling, with a predetermined color, a region of the foreground region that is included in the person region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the obscuring image for obscuring the first part of the foreground region is a mosaic image obtained by performing mosaic processing on the first part of the foreground region.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the obscuring image for obscuring the first part of the foreground region is a blurred image obtained by blurring the first part of the foreground region.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the specification unit specifies the person region based on a result of detecting a part of the person in the captured image, and

wherein the part of the person in the captured image is detected from the captured image by using an image characteristic of the part of the person.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to function as an obtainment unit configured to obtain information of a ratio between a size of the part of the person and an entire size of the person,

wherein the specification unit specifies the person region based on the information of the ratio and the result of detecting the part of the person in the captured image.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the part of the person is a head of the person, and

wherein the person region defines a region includes an entirety of the person.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to function as an estimation unit configured to estimate an age of the person in the captured image,

wherein the obtainment unit obtains the information of the ratio corresponding to the age estimated by the estimation unit, and

wherein the specification unit specifies the person region in the captured image, based on a size of the head of the person and the information of the ratio corresponding to the age estimated by the estimation unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the obtainment unit obtains the information of the ratio corresponding to a position of the part of the person detected from the captured image, by referring to map information associating the position and the ratio.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the specification unit specifies a three-dimensional region in which the person is present, and specifies, as the person region, a region obtained by projecting the three-dimensional region onto a two-dimensional region of the same image capturing range as the captured image.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the output image is obtained by superimposing, on a background image that does not include the person, the obscuring image for obscuring the first part of the foreground region, but by not superimposing the obscuring image for obscuring the second part of the foreground region.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the output image is obtained by superimposing, on the captured image, the obscuring image for obscuring the first part of the foreground region, but by not superimposing the obscuring image for obscuring the second part of the foreground region.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the person region specified by the specification unit corresponds to a rectangular region including the person in the captured image.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the extraction unit extracts the foreground region in the captured image by using the background difference method in which the captured image is compared with a background image, wherein the background image does not include the person.

15. A method for image processing by an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

extracting a foreground region in a captured image, using a background difference method;

specifying, using an image characteristic of a person, a person region corresponding to the person in the captured image; and

outputting an output image obtained by superimposing, on an image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a first part of the foreground region, the first part of the foreground region being included in the person region specified in the specifying, but by not superimposing, on the image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a second part of the foreground region, the second part of the foreground region not being included in the person region specified in the specifying.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer comprised in an image processing apparatus to:

extract a foreground region in a captured image, using a background difference method;

specify, using an image characteristic of a person, a person region corresponding to the person in the captured image; and

output an output image obtained by superimposing, on an image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a first part of the foreground region, the first part of the foreground region being included in the specified person region, but by not superimposing, on the image corresponding to the captured image, an obscuring image for obscuring a second part of the foreground region, the second part of the foreground region not being included in the specified person region.