Image processing apparatus and image processing method

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image obtaining unit configured to obtain a moving image of an eye area;

a vascular region specifying unit configured to specify a vascular region in the obtained moving image;

a detecting unit configured to detect at least one blood cell aggregate in the specified vascular region by using luminance value information of the specified vascular region; and

a determining unit configured to determine the number of the detected at least one blood cell aggregate.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit detects, as the at least one blood cell aggregate, a location that (a) is adjacent to a region having a luminance value that is higher than a threshold value and (b) has a luminance value that is lower than a threshold value in the specified vascular region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an information obtaining unit configured to obtain the vascular diameters of a plurality of vascular branches that include a plurality of vascular bifurcations in the obtained moving image,

wherein the detecting unit detects the at least one blood cell aggregate in a vascular branch having a vascular diameter that is within a predetermined range among the plurality of vascular branches.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a vascular branch specifying unit configured to specify the plurality of vascular branches, one vascular branch being a region that includes two neighboring vascular bifurcations among the plurality of vascular bifurcations and a blood vessel between the two vascular bifurcations,

wherein the information obtaining unit obtains the vascular diameters of the specified plurality of vascular branches.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a display control unit configured to, on a display unit, display a distribution of at least one of a determined value based on the number of the at least one blood cell aggregate determined by the determining unit, and the difference between the determined value and a statistical value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the display control unit displays the determined value for the number of the at least one blood cell aggregate and a normal value range on the display unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the display control unit makes a distinction between a blood vessel that does not include the at least one blood cell aggregate and a blood vessel that includes the at least one blood cell aggregate, and performs display based on the distinction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a display control unit configured to display change over time in the measured values for the number of the at least one blood cell aggregate in images that were obtained at different examination dates and times.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit calculates the number of the at least one blood cell aggregate based on a plurality of determined values that were determined at times at which the phases of heartbeat or pulse wave data resemble each other.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein reliability degree for the calculated number of the at least one blood cell aggregate is calculated based on a statistical value for the plurality of determined values.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit further performs at least one of:

calculating an index based on at least one of the sum of the lengths of blood vessels that include the at least one blood cell aggregate, and the sum of the length of blood vessels that do not include the at least one blood cell aggregate, and

calculating at least one of a percentage of the total lengths of blood vessels that include or do not include the at least one blood cell aggregate with respect to the total lengths of determination target blood vessels, and a value obtained by dividing the total lengths of blood vessels that include or do not include at least one blood cell aggregate by the area of a region of interest.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit detects the at least one blood cell aggregate based on a luminance value that is less than a first threshold value in the specified vascular region, and

wherein the detecting unit detects, as the at least one blood cell aggregate, a location that is adjacent to a region having a luminance value that is higher than a second threshold value that is different from the first threshold value, the location having a luminance value that is lower than the first threshold value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit detects the at least one blood cell aggregate from the moving image based on a distance between detected blood cells.

14. An information processing method comprising:

obtaining a moving image of an eye area;

specifying a vascular region in the obtained moving image;

detecting at least one blood cell aggregate in the specified vascular region by using luminance value information of the specified vascular region; and

determining the number of the detected at least one blood cell aggregate.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein in the detecting, a location that (a) is adjacent to a region having a luminance value that is higher than a threshold value and (b) has a luminance value that is lower than a threshold value in the specified vascular region is determined as the at least one blood cell aggregate.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein in the detecting, the at least one blood cell aggregate is detected based on a luminance value that is below a first threshold value in the specified vascular region, and

wherein in the detecting, a location that (a) is adjacent to a region having a luminance value that exceeds a second threshold value that is different from the first threshold value and (b) has a luminance value that is lower than the first threshold value is detected as the at least one blood cell aggregate.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

obtaining a moving image of an eye area;

specifying a vascular region in the obtained moving image;

detecting at least one blood cell aggregate in the specified vascular region by using luminance value information of the specified vascular region; and

determining the number of the detected at least one blood cell aggregate.

18. The medium according to claim 17 , wherein in the detecting, the at least one blood cell aggregate is detected based on a luminance value that is below a first threshold value in the specified vascular region, and

wherein in the detecting, a location that (a) is adjacent to a region having a luminance value that exceeds a second threshold value that is different from the first threshold value and (b) has a luminance value that is lower than the first threshold value is detected as the at least one blood cell aggregate.