Image freeze detection device and image freeze detection method

Abstract

The invention provides an image freezing detection device and an image freezing detection method, which can judge whether an image is frozen or not even if the displayed image is not an image which changes in real time. An image freeze detection device includes: an image data reception unit that receives image data by frame; a pixel point selection unit that selects at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data for the image data received by the image data reception unit; a color data setting unit that sets the color data of the pixel point selected by the pixel point selection unit so that the color data of the selected pixel point is variable within a predetermined range in each frame of image data; the image data checking part is used for checking whether the image data are consistent or not by comparing the image data of adjacent frames; and the judging part judges that the image data is frozen when the checking result of the image data checking part shows that the image data of the adjacent frames are consistent. Therefore, even if the image data is not changed in real time, whether the image is frozen or not can be detected, and prompting is carried out in time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image freeze detection device and an image freeze detection method, and in particular to an image freeze detection device and an image freeze detection method for an image containing a fixed color output portion when the output image contains such an image. Background Art

[0002] For the output image, a detection function is set in the design to detect whether the output image is frozen. When the output image is detected to be frozen, a prompt is given. In general, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is used to compare the CRC check values ​​of the image data of adjacent frames to determine whether the image is frozen. When the test results are consistent, it can be determined that the image is frozen.

[0003] In addition, in the prior art, in order to reduce the amount of calculation, a part of the image data in the image is selected, and the selected part of the image is checked by CRC to quickly determine whether the image is frozen.

[0004] However, sometimes the image to be displayed is not an image that changes in real time. For example, in a vehicle-mounted instrument display device, when the user sets the cruise control mode, the speed remains unchanged and the display screen remains unchanged for a period of time. Therefore, when the displayed image is not an image that changes in real time, even if the CRC check of the prior art is used to compare the image data of adjacent frames, it is impossible to determine whether the image is displayed normally or frozen. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention is proposed to solve the above technical problems, and its purpose is to provide an image freeze detection device and an image freeze detection method that can determine whether an image is frozen even if the displayed image is not an image that changes in real time.

[0006] The present invention provides an image freezing detection device, comprising: an image data receiving unit, which receives image data frame by frame; a pixel point selecting unit, which selects at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data for the image data received by the image data receiving unit; a color data setting unit, which sets the color data of the pixel point selected by the pixel point selecting unit so that the color data of the selected pixel point is variable within a specified interval in each frame of image data; an image data verification unit, which verifies whether the image data is consistent by comparing the image data of adjacent frames; and a judgment unit, which judges that the image data is frozen when it is known from the verification result of the image data verification unit that the image data of the adjacent frames are consistent.

[0007] The present invention provides an image freezing detection method, comprising: an image data receiving step, receiving image data frame by frame; a pixel point selecting step, for the image data received in the image data receiving step, selecting at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data; a color data setting step, setting the color data of the pixel point selected in the above pixel point selecting step so that in each frame of image data, the color data of the selected pixel point is variable within a specified interval; an image data verification step, verifying whether the image data is consistent by comparing the image data of adjacent frames; and a judgment step, when it is known through the verification result of the above image data verification unit that the image data of the above adjacent frames are consistent, judging that the above image data is frozen.

[0008] Through the image freezing detection device and the image freezing detection method of the present invention, even if the image data does not change in real time, it is still possible to detect whether the image is frozen and give a prompt in time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the image freeze detection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart showing an image freeze detection method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 It is a figure which shows the specific example concerning the 1st aspect of this invention.

[0012] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an image freeze detection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a device for detecting image freeze according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present invention is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, implementation modes and specific examples. The following description is only an example given for the convenience of understanding the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The components shown in the accompanying drawings are for illustration only and may be changed according to actual conditions. The image freeze detection device of the present invention is applied to vehicle-mounted equipment, especially vehicle-mounted instrument display equipment. The image freeze detection device may be built into the vehicle-mounted equipment or may be connected to the vehicle-mounted equipment as a separate device to detect whether the image is frozen.

[0015] (First Embodiment)

[0016] Below, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , an image freeze detection device and an image freeze detection method according to a first embodiment of the present invention are specifically described. Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an image freeze detection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The image freeze detection device in the figure only shows the components related to the technical concept of the present invention, and omits other components.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the image freezing detection device 100 includes an image data receiving unit 10, a pixel point selecting unit 20, a color data setting unit 30, an image data verifying unit 40, and a determining unit 50.

[0018] The image data receiving unit 10 is connected to an external image output source and receives image data output by an image data source. The image data source may be an external device or a part of a communication data bus. For example, in a vehicle environment, the image data source may be an image data source for instrument display or image data output on a communication bus.

[0019] Regarding the form of receiving image data, in a broad sense, image data is received frame by frame. In a narrow sense, each frame of image data is composed of pixels, and image data is received row by row according to the pixels. For example, image data with a resolution of 1920*1080 has 1920*1080 pixels. When receiving, the image data is received row by row according to 1~1080, 1081~2060, ..., and finally forms a complete frame of image data.

[0020] The pixel selection unit 20 selects at least one pixel at a fixed position of the image data received by the image data receiving unit 10. For ease of explanation, the present embodiment takes the selection of one pixel as an example. The image data is composed of a plurality of pixels. When the image data is formed by the superposition of multiple layers of image data, the pixel selection unit 20 selects a pixel in one of the layers of image data. Furthermore, when the color information of one layer of the multiple layers of image data remains consistent, the pixel selection unit 20 selects a pixel in the layer where the color information of the image data remains consistent. How to know that the image data is formed by the superposition of several layers of image data can be detected and confirmed by a control unit not shown in the figure. It can also be performed by a component not shown in the figure that detects the layer information of the image data. For example Figure 3 As shown in the figure, it is an example of a specific selected pixel point. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the image data is composed of a plurality of pixels, and the pixel selection unit 20 selects one of the pixels as a selected pixel.

[0021] The color data setting unit 30 sets the color data of the pixel selected by the pixel selection unit 20 so that the color data of the selected pixel can be changed within a specified range in each frame of image data. First of all, the color display is composed of RGB colors, that is, three primary colors, R represents Red, G represents Green, and B represents Blue. Therefore, the color of each pixel includes three RGB colors, and the R value variation range is 0 to 255, the G value variation range is 0 to 255, and the B value variation range is 0 to 255. As for the color of the pixel, three different colors, namely R (red), G (green), and B (blue), are combined by different values. For example, when the color displayed by the pixel is blue, the RGB data of the pixel can be RGB (0, 0, 255), that is, the R data is 0, the G data is 0, and the B data is 255.

[0022] Since the image data receiving unit 10 receives image data frame by frame, the color data of the pixel selected by the pixel selection unit 20 is always kept variable within the specified range through the setting of the color data setting unit 30. For example, when the original RGB data of the selected pixel is RGB (0, 0, 255), that is, when the pixel is blue, the value of the blue data B is changed within the specified range. Here, the specified range is set to 5, that is, the RGB data of the pixel is changed within the range of RGB (0, 0, 250-255). The RGB data of the point can be any one of RGB (0, 0, 250), RGB (0, 0, 251), RGB (0, 0, 252), RGB (0, 0, 253), RGB (0, 0, 254), RGB (0, 0, 255). The specific setting of the specified range can also be set according to actual needs. If the image data needs to be displayed, the setting of the specified range can be any range in which the human eye cannot distinguish the color change.

[0023] The color data of the selected pixel point is set by the color data setting unit 30 so that the color data of the selected pixel point always changes within a specified interval, and the color data of the selected pixel point in the image data of adjacent frames are always different.

[0024] The image data verification unit 40 compares the image data of adjacent frames to verify whether the image data is consistent. Here, the so-called adjacent frames of images can be randomly selected and compared to see whether the verification results are consistent. The verification method uses CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) to perform CRC check on each frame of image data, and then compare the CRC check results of the image data of adjacent frames to see whether they are consistent.

[0025] The determination unit 50 determines that the image data is frozen when the verification results of the adjacent image data are consistent with each other based on the verification result of the image data verification unit 40 .

[0026] Below, refer to Figure 2 The image freeze detection method executed by the image freeze detection device 100 in the first embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 2 : is a flowchart showing the image freeze detection method according to the first embodiment.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, first, in step S101, the image data receiving unit 10 receives the image data frame by frame, and then proceeds to step S102. In step S102, for the received image data, the pixel point selection unit 20 selects at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data, and then proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the color data setting unit 30 sets the color data of the selected pixel point in each frame of image data to be variable within a specified interval, and then proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the image data verification unit 40 compares the image data of adjacent frames to verify whether the image data is consistent. When the verification results are consistent (step S104 is yes), proceed to step S105. In step S105, the judgment unit 50 determines whether the image data is frozen.

[0028] In the process of step S104 , when the verification results do not match (step S104 : No), the process of S104 is repeated, and the image data verification unit 40 continues to compare adjacent image data.

[0029] Therefore, by utilizing the image freeze detection device and the image freeze detection method of the first embodiment of the present invention, regardless of whether the image data changes in real time, by selecting a pixel point at a fixed position in the image data, and then making the color data of the selected pixel point variable within a specified range, by verifying the image data of adjacent frames, it is possible to determine whether the image data is frozen and provide prompts in a timely manner.

[0030] (Second Embodiment)

[0031] Below, refer to Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the image freeze detection device further includes a display unit. Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image freeze detection device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4As shown, the image freezing detection device 200 has the same image data receiving unit 10, pixel point selecting unit 20, color data setting unit 30, image data verifying unit 40, and judging unit 50 as the image freezing detection device 100 in the first embodiment, and further has a display unit 80. The same reference numerals are used for the same contents as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment, and only the differences are described here.

[0032] First, the configuration of the image freeze detection device 200 that is different from the image freeze detection device 100 will be described.

[0033] The display unit 80 is used to display the received image data. The display unit 80 can be a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display, an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display, etc. Here, after receiving the image data, the image freeze detection device 200 not only determines whether the received image data is frozen, but also displays the received image data.

[0034] In addition, the display unit is a part of the image freeze detection device 200, or the display unit can be connected to the image freeze detection device as a separate component to constitute the image freeze detection device 200.

[0035] When the image freeze detection device has a display unit, for example, the display unit is used to display the vehicle instrument information, and the instrument information includes speed information, engine speed information, etc. When the image data is image data for displaying instrument information, the image data is actually composed of background image data for displaying a fixed color, image data for displaying a speed different from the background color, and image data for displaying an engine speed different from the background color. At this time, the pixel point selection unit 20 and the color data setting unit 30 can select pixels in the background image data with a fixed display color and set the color data.

[0036] (Variation Example)

[0037] This modification is based on the image freeze detection device 200 in the second embodiment, and further includes an image encoding unit and an image decoding unit. Figure 5 FIG. 3 is an image freezing detection device 300 according to a modified example of the second embodiment. Figure 5As shown, the image freezing detection device 300 includes the same image data receiving unit 10, pixel point selecting unit 20, color data setting unit 30, image data verification unit 40, judgment unit 50, and display unit 80 as the image freezing detection device 200, and further includes an image coding unit 60 and an image decoding unit 70. The same reference numerals are used for the same contents as those of the image freezing detection device 200, and the description thereof is omitted, and only the differences are described here.

[0038] The image encoding unit 60 is connected to the image data receiving unit 10, and encodes the image received by the image data receiving unit 10 according to a certain rule and converts it into data of other forms.

[0039] The image decoding unit 70 is connected to the image encoding unit 60, and restores the data content in other formats converted by the image encoding unit 60 to the original data format through decoding.

[0040] After passing through the image encoding unit 60 and the image decoding unit 70 , the image data is connected to the display unit 80 . The image encoding unit 60 and the image decoding unit 70 are provided to overcome some problems in the transmission between the image data receiving unit 10 and the display unit 80 .

[0041] In a second embodiment, when the image freeze detection device has a display unit, pixels are selected in a specific area. The so-called specific area is a non-display area outside the display unit that can display the screen. Pixels are selected from the image data in the non-display area. Even if the color data of the selected pixels changes within a specified interval, it will not have any effect on the display. In addition, the specific area can also be an edge area of ​​the display area on the display unit. Usually, the edge area of ​​the display unit is not a key area of ​​the display, and the user generally does not notice it. Therefore, when pixels are selected in the edge area of ​​the display area of ​​the display unit, the color data of the selected pixels changes within a specified interval, which usually has little effect.

[0042] In addition, description of the image freeze detection method executed by the image freeze detection device according to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0043] Therefore, the image freeze detection device in the second embodiment of the present invention also has a display unit, and on this basis can further have an image encoding unit and an image decoding unit. By selecting pixel points in the image data in the non-display area or the edge area of ​​the display area, the impact on the display content and the visual impact on the user can be reduced.

[0044] The embodiments of the present invention are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described above are only specific examples of the present invention, which are used to understand the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications, combinations and reasonable omissions of elements to the embodiments based on the technical ideas of the present invention, and the resulting methods are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image freezing detection device, characterized in that: have: An image data receiving unit receives image data frame by frame; A pixel point selecting unit, for selecting at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data received by the image data receiving unit; A color data setting unit, which sets the color data of the pixel point selected by the pixel point selecting unit so that the color data of the selected pixel point is variable within a specified interval in each frame of image data; An image data verification unit verifies whether the image data is consistent by comparing the image data of adjacent frames; The determination unit determines that the image data is frozen when it is known from the verification result of the image data verification unit that the image data of the adjacent frames are consistent.

2. The image freezing detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image data received by the image data receiving unit is composed of multiple layers of image data superimposed on each other. The multiple layers of image data include image data layers that change for each frame of image data and image data layers that do not change for each frame of image data.

3. The image freezing detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that In the multi-layer image data, the pixel point selecting unit selects pixel points in an image data layer that does not change for each frame of image data.

4. The image freezing detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also features: The display unit displays the image data received by the image receiving unit.

5. The image freezing detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also features: An image encoding unit and an image decoding unit; The image data received by the image data receiving unit passes through the image encoding unit and the image decoding unit, and then the image data is displayed by the display unit.

6. The image freezing detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pixel point selecting unit selects pixels in a specific area.

7. The image freezing detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The specific area is a non-display area that is not displayed on the display unit.

8. The image freezing detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The specific area is an edge area of ​​a display area in the display unit.

9. A method for detecting image freezing, characterized in that: include: An image data receiving step of receiving image data frame by frame; A pixel point selection step, for the image data received in the above-mentioned image data receiving step, selecting at least one pixel point at a fixed position of the image data; A color data setting step, setting the color data of the pixel point selected in the above pixel point selection step so that the color data of the selected pixel point is variable within a specified interval in each frame of image data; An image data verification step, verifying whether the image data is consistent by comparing the image data of adjacent frames; The judging step is to judge that the image data is frozen when it is known through the verification result of the image data verification unit that the image data of the adjacent frames are consistent.

Images