IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,080,057
Granted Patent B2
US 12,080,057 · App. 18/015,903 · Granted Sep 3, 2024

Image analysis apparatus, image analysis method, and storage medium

Inventors: Satoshi Yoshida (Tokyo, JP); Shoji Nishimura (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
G06V10/945G06F3/04817G06F3/04847G06V10/776G06V10/87G06V10/98G06V40/10G06V2201/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,080,057
App. No.
18/015,903
Granted
Sep 3, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image analysis apparatus ( 102 ) includes: an icon placement unit ( 107 ) accepting an instruction for placing, on a screen, a plurality of icons including a plurality of input source icons each indicating an input source of image data being a target of analysis, a plurality of image processing icons each indicating an image processing engine for the image data, and at least one output destination icon indicating an output destination of a processing result by an image processing engine, and placing the plurality of icons on the screen in accordance with the instruction; a connection unit ( 110 ) accepting a connection instruction for connecting icons placed on the screen; and a data flow setting unit ( 111 ) setting a flow of data between the icons in accordance with the connection instruction and displaying the flow on the screen.

Claims (77)

1. An image analysis apparatus comprising:

at least one memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

accept an instruction for placing, on a screen, a plurality of icons, and place the plurality of icons on the screen in accordance with the instruction, the plurality of icons including a plurality of input source icons, a plurality of imaging processing icons, and at least one output destination icon, each input source icon indicating an input source of image data that is a target of analysis, each image processing icon indicating an image processing engine for the image data to generate a processing result, and each output destination icon indicating an output destination of the processing result;

accept a connection instruction for connecting specified icons that have been placed on the screen; and

set a flow of data between the specified icons in accordance with the connection instruction and display the flow on the screen, wherein

the connection instruction includes at least an instruction to connect at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon such that at least one of the plurality of image processing icons is included between the at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon.

2. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

accept, when one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected, a set value for a parameter applied to the image processing engine related to the selected image processing icon.

3. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

acceptance of the set value for the parameter includes:

finding, when the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected, a candidate of a set value for the parameter applied to the image processing engine related to the selected image processing icon, based on at least part of the image data;

displaying the found candidate on the screen; and

accepting a setting of the parameter.

4. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

finding the candidate of the set value includes:

finding, when the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected and the image processing engine associated with the selected image processing icon includes a function of identifying a person, the candidate of the set value in such a way that all of one or more persons included in a frame image constituting at least part of the image data are analyzed to be different persons via processing by the image processing engine.

5. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

finding the candidate of the set value includes:

displaying, on the screen, when the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected, one or a plurality of sample images acquired by executing processing by the image processing engine associated with the selected image processing icon on at least part of the image data;

accepting a user evaluation of the one or the plurality of sample images; and

finding the candidate of the set value, based on the processing result.

6. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

displaying the one or the plurality of sample images includes displaying a plurality of sample sets constituted of the one or the plurality of sample images, and

accepting the user evaluation includes accepting a user evaluation of each of the plurality of sample sets.

7. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein,

displaying the one or the plurality of sample images includes, when the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected and the image processing engine associated with the selected image processing icon includes a function of detecting a detection target included in the image data, displaying the one or the plurality of sample images indicating the detected detection target, and

accepting the user evaluation includes accepting, as the evaluation, whether the detection target is correctly detected in the one or the plurality of sample images.

8. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein,

displaying the one or the plurality of sample images includes displaying the plurality of the sample images that each include a person, when the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen is selected and the image processing engine associated with the selected image processing icon includes a function of identifying a person, and

accepting, as the evaluation, whether persons included in the plurality of sample images are identical.

9. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

execute, on the image data, analysis processing based on the plurality of icons placed on the screen and a connection relation between the plurality of icons, wherein

accepting the set value for the parameter includes accepting a plurality of groups of one or more set values including a set value associated with each of the plurality of icons placed on the screen, and,

executing analysis processing includes executing, for each group of the set values, analysis processing on the image data in accordance with the connection relation between the plurality of icons placed on the screen.

10. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein,

executing analysis processing includes displaying a result of the analysis processing on the screen for each group of the set values, every time analysis processing on the image data ends in accordance with the connection relation between the plurality of icons placed on the screen.

11. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

executing analysis processing includes:

predicting whether an abnormality occurs in a result of the analysis processing; and

providing notification for prompting change of the set value when the abnormality is predicted to occur.

12. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

executing analysis processing includes:

determining whether an abnormality is included in a result of the analysis processing; and

providing notification for prompting change of the set value when the abnormality is determined to be included.

13. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

the abnormality is at least one of:

when the image processing engine associated with one of the image processing icons placed on the screen includes a function of identifying a person, a plurality of persons included in a frame image constituting the image data being analyzed are identical; and

when the image processing engine associated with the one of the image processing icons placed on the screen includes a function of identifying a person and a target of the analysis is a plurality of pieces of image data acquired by capturing images of different regions in a continuous space, a number of one or more persons that are analyzed as being identical among the plurality of pieces of image data is less than a threshold value.

14. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

accept selection of part or all of the plurality of icons placed and connected on the screen and holding as a component, the selected part or all of the plurality of icons and a connection relation between the selected part or all of the plurality of icons.

15. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the image processing icons include at least one of:

a detection icon associated with a detection engine for detecting a detection target from image data;

a tracking icon associated with a tracking engine for tracking a tracking target in the image data;

a feature value extraction icon associated with a feature value extraction engine for extracting a feature value in the image data;

a retrieval icon associated with a retrieval engine for retrieving a retrieval target from the image data; and

a redetermination icon associated with a redetermination engine for tracking a tracking target across a plurality of pieces of the image data.

16. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

setting of the flow of data includes:

determining, when the connection instruction is accepted, whether a connection between the specified icons is included in prohibition data indicating a prohibition related to the connection between the icons and performing prohibition processing, based on a result of determination; and

setting the flow of data between the specified icons in accordance with the connection instruction and the prohibition processing and displaying the flow on the screen.

17. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein

the prohibition processing includes at least one of not generating the connection relation based on the connection instruction, correcting the connection instruction by a predetermined method, and providing notification that the connection between the specified icons related to the connection instruction is prohibited.

18. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the image processing engines include processing engines with different functions related to image processing, and

at least one of a shape, a color, a pattern, and a style of an outline of the image processing icons is varied for each function of the image processing engines.

19. An image analysis method comprising:

accepting, by a processor, an instruction for placing, on a screen, a plurality of icons, and placing the plurality of icons on the screen in accordance with the instruction, the plurality of icons including a plurality of input source icons, a plurality of imaging processing icons, and at least one output destination icon, each input source icon indicating an input source of image data that is a target of analysis, each image processing icon indicating an image processing engine for the image data to generate a processing result, and each output destination icon indicating an output destination of the processing result;

accepting, by the processor, a connection instruction for connecting specified icons that have been placed on the screen; and

setting, by the processor, a flow of data between the specified icons in accordance with the connection instruction and displaying the flow on the screen, wherein

the connection instruction includes at least an instruction to connect at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon such that at least one of the plurality of image processing icons is included between the at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon.

20. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform:

accepting an instruction for placing, on a screen, a plurality of icons, and placing the plurality of icons on the screen in accordance with the instruction, the plurality of icons including a plurality of input source icons, a plurality of imaging processing icons, and at least one output destination icon, each input source icon indicating an input source of image data that is a target of analysis, each image processing icon indicating an image processing engine for the image data to generate a processing result, and each output destination icon indicating an output destination of the processing result;

accepting a connection instruction for connecting specified icons that have been placed on the screen; and

setting a flow of data between the specified icons in accordance with the connection instruction and displaying the flow on the screen, wherein

the connection instruction includes at least an instruction to connect at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon such that at least one of the plurality of image processing icons is included between the at least one of the plurality of input source icons and the at least one output destination icon.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 12, 2023
From: YOSHIDA, SATOSHI; NISHIMURA, SHOJI
To: NEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062362/0988 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230267727A1 · Aug 24, 2023