Moving Image Pickup Apparatus, Method For Observing Moving Image, Moving Image Observing Program, And Computer-Readable Recording Medium

[0026]In addition, according to yet another embodiment of the moving image pickup apparatus, the image obtaining unit is an imaging unit 10 capable of picking up the input moving image of the object at an imaging cycle of not more than 1/25 second. Thus, the analysis can be effectively made in analyzing the moving image containing the great amount of image frames.

[0027]In addition, according to one embodiment of a method for observing a moving image of one or more objects as an imaging target, it includes the steps of obtaining an input moving image composed of a plurality of frames containing a scene of the object making a periodic motion, calculating a characteristic amount of each frame or each frame group from the obtained input moving image by a characteristic amount calculating unit 34, generating a moving picture waveform, based on the calculated characteristic amount, obtaining a standard timing to determine a cycle of the moving picture waveform by a standard timing selecting unit 31, based on the moving picture waveform, and dividing the input moving image with respect to each cycle, based on the standard timing. Thus, each cycle can be synchronized by the standard timing, and the division can be made with respect to each cycle without the synchronous input. In addition, the quantitative evaluation can be made based on the moving picture waveform, and the division can be easily made with respect to each cycle using the moving picture waveform.

[0028]In addition, according to one embodiment of a moving image observing program to observe a moving image of one or more objects as an imaging target, it causes a computer to implement the functions of obtaining an input moving image composed of a plurality of frames containing a scene of the object making a periodic motion, calculating a characteristic amount of each frame or each frame group from the obtained input moving image, generating a moving picture waveform, based on the calculated characteristic amount, selecting a standard timing to determine a cycle of the moving picture waveform by comparing the moving picture waveform with a predetermined threshold value, and dividing the input moving image with respect to each cycle, based on the selected standard timing to be executed in a computer. Thus, each cycle can be synchronized by the standard timing, and the division can be made with respect to each cycle without the synchronous input. In addition, the quantitative evaluation can be made based on the moving picture waveform, and the division can be easily made with respect to each cycle using the moving picture waveform.

Regarding the moving image picked up by the high-speed imaging apparatus, as the imaging frame rate increases, a playback time becomes extremely long compared to the imaging time, so that it is difficult to find out a desired picked-up image from enormous frame image data.

Especially, as the high-speed camera is increased in speed, and the frame rate becomes high, that is, as the number of picked-up images per unit time increases, a moving image data amount to be analyzed becomes enormous, and the problem becomes more serious.

In addition, it is not easy to analyze an imaging target object contained in the image.

In addition, when the synchronization signal cannot be obtained, or a method to obtain it is not known, the above method cannot be used.