JP2004032373A - Method, apparatus and program for reproducing image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recognize the photographed location and photographed date and time of an image only by referring to a reproduced image. <P>SOLUTION: In a cellular telephone 1 with a camera, GPS (global positioning system) information G0 is obtained at the time of obtaining image data S0, and photographed location information P0 is obtained on the basis of the obtained GPS information G0 in referrence to a database DB1 which associates the GPS information G0 with the location information. The information P0 is provided to processed image data S1 of image data S0 together with photographed date/time information T0 and transmitted to a image server 3, and the information is transmitted to a cellular telephone 2 with a camera and displayed. The image provided with the photographed location and photographed date/time is displayed on a liquid crystal display 24 of the telephone 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image reproduction method and apparatus for reproducing image data acquired by photographing or reception, and a program for causing a computer to execute the image reproduction method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Although there is a remarkable spread of mobile phones, in recent years, mobile phones with cameras having photographing means for acquiring image data by photographing are becoming popular (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6-233020 and 9-322114). 10-150523, JP-A 2000-253290, etc.). By using such a camera-equipped mobile phone, the user's favorite image data acquired by photographing can be set on the standby screen of the mobile phone. In addition, since it is possible to attach the image data acquired by shooting to an e-mail and send it to a friend, when it becomes necessary to cancel the appointment or when it is likely to be late at the meeting time, It is convenient for communication with friends because it is possible to inform a friend of his / her current situation, such as taking a picture of his / her disappointing expression and sending it to a friend.
[0003]
In addition, the function of the camera-equipped mobile phone has been improved, and it has become possible to acquire image data having a size sufficient for print output in the camera-equipped mobile phone.
[0004]
On the other hand, image data acquired by a camera-equipped mobile phone is subjected to various image processes to obtain processed image data, print out the image data, or upload it onto a network. . As a result, the user can acquire a high-quality image, acquire a print, view an image on a network, and the like, so that the use form of image data by communication can be diversified.
[0005]
The use of the image data acquired in such a camera-equipped mobile phone transmits image data from the camera-equipped mobile phone that has captured the image data to an image server that manages image data storage. Generate an e-mail with a URL indicating the storage location, send the e-mail to a mobile phone to which the image data is sent, a terminal device such as a personal computer or PDA, a laboratory that performs print output, and the like. The image data is downloaded by referring to the URL from the received mobile phone, terminal device or laboratory.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, although the camera-equipped mobile phone can shoot in a wide variety of places, when image data is reproduced later, it may become difficult to know where the image data was taken.
[0007]
Here, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2233985, information representing a shooting location acquired in a GPS device is associated with image data using a digital camera and a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. A method for displaying thumbnail images in image data at corresponding locations on the electronic map when the electronic map is displayed and stored is proposed. In addition, a method has been proposed in which information on a shooting location and shooting date / time is stored in a GPS device, and the shooting location and shooting date / time stored at the time of referring to image data later are referred to simultaneously (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2001). No. 94916).
[0008]
However, in the above method, when it is desired to know the shooting location and the shooting date and time, it is necessary to refer to the information indicating the shooting location and the shooting date and time together with the image data. I can't know the shooting date.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to recognize the shooting location and shooting date of an image only by referring to the reproduced image.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An image reproduction method according to the present invention is an image reproduction method for reproducing image data.
Obtaining shooting location information representing the shooting location of the image data;
The photographing location information is added to the image data and reproduced.
[0011]
“Playback” includes display on a liquid crystal monitor, CRT monitor, etc. and print output by a printer.
[0012]
“Grant” means that if the playback is a display on the monitor, the acquired shooting location information is included in the reproduced image or displayed adjacent to the image. Giving in such a way that it can be recognized. In addition, when the reproduction is a print output, the acquired shooting location information may be added to the image, or the acquired shooting location information may be added by printing on the back or white edge portion of the print. Also good.
[0013]
In the image reproduction method according to the present invention, GPS information is added to the image data,
The corresponding location information corresponding to the GPS information assigned to the image data may be acquired as the shooting location information with reference to a database in which GPS information and location information are associated with each other.
[0014]
In the image reproduction method according to the present invention, the shooting location information may be map information representing a map of the shooting location.
[0015]
Further, in the image reproduction method according to the present invention, it further acquires shooting date / time information representing the shooting date / time of the image data,
The photographing date / time information may be further added to the image data and reproduced.
[0016]
An image reproduction apparatus according to the present invention is an image reproduction apparatus provided with reproduction means for reproducing image data.
Further comprising a shooting location information acquisition means for acquiring shooting location information representing a shooting location of the image data
The reproduction means is means for reproducing the image data by adding the shooting location information to the image data.
[0017]
In the image reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, when the image data is provided with GPS information,
A storage means for storing a database in which GPS information and location information are associated with each other;
The shooting location information acquisition unit may be a unit that refers to the database and acquires corresponding location information corresponding to GPS information given to the image data as the shooting location information.
[0018]
In the image reproducing device according to the present invention, the shooting location information may be map information representing a map of the shooting location.
[0019]
Further, in the image reproduction apparatus according to the present invention, the shooting location information acquisition unit is a unit that further acquires shooting date / time information representing the shooting date / time of the image data,
The reproducing unit may be a unit that further adds the shooting date / time information to the image data and reproduces the image data.
[0020]
The image reproduction method according to the present invention may be provided as a program for causing a computer to execute the image reproduction method.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, shooting location information representing a shooting location of image data is acquired, and the shooting location information is added to the image data and reproduced. For this reason, the shooting location of the image data can be immediately recognized by referring to the reproduced image.
[0022]
In addition, when GPS information is added to the image data, the location information corresponding to the GPS information can be obtained by referring to the database in which the GPS information and the location information are associated with each other. It can be obtained easily.
[0023]
In addition, by using the shooting location information as map information representing a map of the shooting location, the shooting location can be more easily recognized.
[0024]
Further, by acquiring further time information indicating the shooting date and time of the image data, and adding the shooting date and time information to the image data and playing it back, if the reproduced image is referenced, the shooting date and time can be set together with the shooting location of the image data. It can be recognized immediately.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of an image processing system including an image reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system according to the present embodiment includes a mobile phone with cameras 1 and 2, an image server 3 for storing and managing image data S0 acquired by the mobile phones with camera 1 and 2, and an image data S0. The image data S0 and various kinds of information are exchanged with the laboratory 4 that prints the image via the mobile phone communication network 5.
[0026]
The camera-equipped mobile phone 1 includes a camera 11 that acquires image data S0 by photographing, a communication unit 12 that transmits and receives the image data S0 and various information, and image data that has been processed by performing image processing on the image data S0. An image processing means 13 for obtaining S1, a liquid crystal monitor 14 for performing various displays such as images and telephone numbers, a controller 15 for controlling the operation of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1, and the use of image data S0 and / or as will be described later. Based on the image quality, the image processing location determining means 16 for determining the location where image processing is performed on the image data S0 and generating the location information B0, the shooting operation by the camera 11, the transmission instruction of the image data S0, the image data Designation of use of S0 and / or image quality, transmission destination of image data S0 or processed image data S1, and whether to perform print output Input means 17 comprising a plurality of buttons for inputting various information such as designation of whether or not to store in the image server 3, instructions for performing image processing on the image data S0, and positioning information from GPS satellites That is, the GPS means 18 that acquires the latitude and longitude information of the place where the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 exists as the GPS information G0, and the storage means 71 that stores the database DB1 that stores the latitude, longitude, and location information in association with each other. And a shooting location information acquisition means 19 for acquiring location information corresponding to the GPS information G0 as shooting location information P0 representing the shooting location of the image data S0 with reference to the database DB1 based on the GPS information G0. The shooting location information acquisition unit 19 also acquires shooting date / time information T0 indicating the shooting date / time based on a timer (not shown).
[0027]
The camera-equipped mobile phone 2 includes a camera 21 that acquires image data S0 by photographing, a communication unit 22 that transmits and receives the image data S0 and various information, and image data that has been processed by performing image processing on the image data S0. The image processing means 23 for obtaining S2, the liquid crystal monitor 24 for performing various displays such as images and telephone numbers, the controller 25 for controlling the operation of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, the use of the image data S0 and / or as described later Based on the image quality, the image processing location determining means 26 for determining the location where image processing is performed on the image data S0 and generating the location information B0, the shooting operation by the camera 21, the transmission instruction of the image data S0, the image data Designation of use of S0 and / or image quality, transmission destination of image data S0 or processed image data S2, and whether to perform print output Input means 27 including a plurality of buttons for inputting various information such as designation of whether or not to store in the image server 3, instructions for performing image processing on the image data S0, and positioning information from a GPS satellite That is, the GPS means 28 that acquires the latitude and longitude information of the place where the mobile phone 2 with the camera exists as GPS information G0, and the storage means 72 that stores the database DB2 that stores the latitude and longitude and the place information in association with each other. And a shooting location information acquisition means 29 for acquiring location information corresponding to the GPS information G0 as shooting location information P0 representing the shooting location of the image data S0 with reference to the database DB2 based on the GPS information G0. The shooting location information acquisition unit 19 also acquires shooting date / time information T0 indicating the shooting date / time based on a timer (not shown).
[0028]
In the present embodiment, the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 obtains the image data S0, determines the image processing location where the image data S0 is subjected to image processing, and the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 receives the image data S0 or the processed image data. It is assumed that it is designated as one of the transmission destinations of S1.
[0029]
The image processing unit 13 performs image processing such as density correction processing, white balance adjustment processing, gradation correction processing, color correction processing, and sharpness processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S1. Also, shooting location information P0 and shooting date / time information T0, which will be described later, are added to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1. Note that the image processing means 13 cannot perform advanced image processing as much as the image processing means of the image server 3 and the laboratory 4 described later. Accordingly, the obtained processed image data S1 has no problem in displaying on a relatively small monitor such as the liquid crystal monitor 14, but is printed out or displayed on a large monitor such as a personal computer monitor. Is not suitable.
[0030]
The image processing location determination means 16 determines the location where image processing is performed on the image data S0 based on the use and / or image quality of the image data S0 input by the user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 from the input means 17. The location information B0 representing the location where image processing is performed is generated. For example, when it is input that the use of the image data S0 is to be displayed on a monitor of a mobile phone and / or when low-quality image is input, the image data S0 does not require so high image quality. The image processing place determination means 16 determines the image processing place in the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 and generates the place information B0. When transmitting the image data S0 to the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, the location information B0 may be generated by determining the image processing location as the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. In this case, the image processing location may be determined based on the transmission destination information of the image data S0 input from the input unit 17.
[0031]
The application and / or image quality may be input directly from the input means 17, but various applications and / or image quality are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14 so that the user can select the desired application and / or image quality. It may be.
[0032]
When the use of the image data S0 is storage in the image server 3, since the image data S0 is downloaded to a terminal device such as a personal computer and displayed on the monitor, it is printed out as the image data S0. Moderate image quality is required, though not so much. Therefore, when the use of the image data S0 is to be stored in the image server 3 and / or when the medium image quality is inputted, the image processing location determination means 16 has a medium value for the image data S0. Since image quality is required, the image processing location is determined by the image server 3 to generate location information B0.
[0033]
Further, when the use of the image data S0 is print output, the image data S0 is required to have high image quality. Further, when it is desired to make the image data S0 have high image quality, print output is often desired. Therefore, when the use of the image data S0 is print output and / or when high-quality is input, the image processing location determination means 16 requires high image quality for the image data S0. The image processing place is determined by the laboratory 4 and the place information B0 is generated.
[0034]
The communication unit 12 converts the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 into the destination information (for example, the lab 4, the mobile phone with camera 2, the camera, and the destination information B0 and the destination of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1). And the user's friend's e-mail address of the attached mobile phone 1) to the image server 3 via the mobile phone communication network 5. Note that when the use of the image data S0 is print output, receiving destination information indicating the receiving destination of the print (if it is sufficient to identify the other party, for example, a mobile phone number or the like may be transmitted).
[0035]
Here, the unprocessed image data S0 is transmitted when the image processing location is determined by the image server 3, the laboratory 4, and the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. On the other hand, when the image processing location is determined to be the camera-equipped mobile phone 1, the image processing unit 13 performs image processing on the image data S 0 to obtain processed image data S 1, which is the location information B 0 ( In this case, the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 is transmitted to the image server 3.
[0036]
The GPS means 18 receives positioning radio waves from GPS satellites, and acquires positioning information (latitude and longitude information) of the location where the mobile phone with camera 1 exists, that is, the shooting location, as GPS information G0. The acquisition of the GPS information G0 is performed in conjunction with the photographing operation in the input unit 17.
[0037]
In the database DB1 stored in the storage unit 71, latitude and longitude information and location information are associated with each other. Here, as place information, a place name, a town name, a name of a sightseeing spot, a name of a theme park, or the like can be used.
[0038]
The shooting location information acquisition means 19 refers to the database DB1 and acquires location information corresponding to the latitude and longitude represented by the GPS information G0 based on the GPS information G0 as shooting location information P0 obtained by shooting the image data S0. . At the same time, the shooting date / time information T0 is also acquired.
[0039]
The shooting location information P0 is given to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 together with the shooting date / time information T0 by the image processing means 13. Here, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are included in the image represented by the image data S0 or the processed image data S1, or are described as tag information of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1. Thus, it is given to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1.
[0040]
Here, the communication means 22, the image processing means 23, the image processing place determination means 26, the GPS means 28, the shooting place information acquisition means 29 and the storage means 72 of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 are the communication means 12, the image processing means 13, The image processing place determining means 16, the GPS means 18, the shooting place information acquiring means 19 and the storage means 71 have the same functions.
[0041]
The image server 3 includes a communication unit 31 that transmits and receives various information such as the image data S0, an image processing unit 32 that performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S3, and the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 In the storage unit 33 for storing the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 transmitted from the URL, the URL generation unit 34 for generating a URL representing the storage location of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1, and the URL generation unit 34 A mail creation unit 35 for creating an electronic mail to which the generated URL is assigned, and a controller 36 for controlling the operation of the image server 3 are provided.
[0042]
When the image data S0 is transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 and the image processing location based on the location information B0 is the image server 3, the image processing means 32 performs density correction processing and white balance adjustment on the image data S0. Processed image data S3 is obtained by performing image processing such as processing, gradation correction processing, color correction processing, and sharpness processing. When the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are described in the tag information of the image data S0, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are included in the processed image represented by the processed image data S3. Included in Note that the image processing performed in the image processing means 32 is image processing for making the image quality suitable for displaying the processed image data S3 on the monitor.
[0043]
The storage unit 33 stores the processed image data S1 when the processed image data S1 is transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 1. When the unprocessed image data S0 is transmitted and the image processing location based on the location information B0 is the image server 3, the processed image data S3 obtained by the image processing means 32 is stored. Furthermore, when the unprocessed image data S0 is transmitted, if the image processing location based on the location information B0 is the mobile phone with camera 2 or the laboratory 4, the unprocessed image data S0 is stored.
[0044]
The URL generation unit 34 generates a URL representing the storage location of the image data S0, the processed image data S1, or the processed image data S3.
[0045]
The mail creating means 35 creates an e-mail with the URL generated by the URL generating means 34 based on the destination information transmitted together with the image data S0 or the processed image data S1. The created e-mail is transmitted by the communication means 31 to the transmission destination based on the transmission destination information via the mobile phone communication network 5.
[0046]
The lab 4 includes a communication unit 41 that transmits and receives various information such as the image data S0, an image processing unit 42 that performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S4, and processed image data S4. A printer 43 that prints out and creates a print P, a notification means 44 that notifies the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 when the print P is created, and a controller 45 that controls the operation of the laboratory 4 are provided.
[0047]
When the lab 4 receives the e-mail transmitted from the image server 3, the communication unit 41 downloads the image data S 0 from the storage unit 33 of the image server 3 with reference to the URL given to the e-mail. At the same time as downloading the image data S0, the recipient information indicating the recipient of the print P is also downloaded.
[0048]
The image processing unit 42 performs image processing such as density correction processing, white balance adjustment processing, gradation correction processing, color correction processing, and sharpness processing on the image data S0 downloaded from the storage unit 33 of the image server 3. Processed image data S4 is obtained. When the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are described in the tag information of the image data S0, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are included in the processed image represented by the processed image data S4. Included in In this case, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 may be printed on the back or edge of the print P as described later. Here, when an e-mail is transmitted to the lab 4, it is clear that the lab 4 performs image processing on the image data S0, but the image processing location is the lab 4 with reference to the location information B0. It is preferable to confirm. Note that the image processing performed in the image processing means 42 is image processing for making the image quality suitable for printing out the processed image data S4.
[0049]
When the print output of the processed image data S4 is completed, the notification unit 44 notifies the reception destination based on the reception destination information that the print output has been completed. The notification may be an e-mail or an automatic telephone call. Note that the operator of the lab 4 may make a notification by calling the recipient or sending an e-mail manually.
[0050]
When an e-mail is transmitted from the image server 3 to the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, the user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 accesses the storage unit 33 of the image server 3 by referring to the URL to obtain the image data S 0. Alternatively, the processed image data S1 is downloaded. When the processed image data S1 is downloaded, the processed image data S1 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24 as it is. On the other hand, when the image data S0 is downloaded, the image processing unit 23 performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S2, which is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24.
[0051]
When an e-mail with a URL indicating the storage location of the unprocessed image data S0 is transmitted to the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 performs image processing on the image data S0. Obviously, it is preferable to confirm that the image processing place is the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 with reference to the place information B0.
[0052]
Here, processing performed in the image processing means will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing processing performed in the image processing means 13 of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1. As shown in FIG. 2, in the image processing means 13, since the image data S0 is compressed in the JPEG format or the like, the image data S0 is first decompressed and then the image data S0 is reduced. Then, based on the reduced image data S0 and the shooting conditions at the time of shooting given to the tag information of the image data S0, an image processing condition J for performing image processing on the image data S0 is calculated.
[0053]
Based on the calculated image processing condition J, density correction processing, white balance adjustment processing, gradation correction processing, color correction processing, and sharpness processing are performed, and processed image data S1 is obtained. Further, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are given to the processed image data S1. Although not based on the image processing condition J, enlargement processing for adjusting the size of the image represented by the image data S0 to the output size (print size, monitor size, etc.) is performed before the sharpness processing. Here, the enlargement process includes an enlargement process with a magnification of less than 1.
[0054]
Here, density correction processing and white balance adjustment processing correct exposure errors and white balance errors during shooting, and tone correction processing absorbs differences in contrast between scenes and prints during shooting, and color correction processing. Corrects the hue, saturation, and brightness of each color of RGB, and the sharpness processing corrects the sharpness of the image.
[0055]
When image processing is not performed on the image data S0, shooting location information P0 and shooting date / time information T0 are assigned to the image data S0.
[0056]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 to which the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are given is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14 of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1. Here, an image when the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are included in the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, “Yokohama 4/10/02 10:00” representing the shooting location and the shooting date and time is included at the bottom of the image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14. Note that the shooting location and the shooting date and time may be displayed adjacent to the image.
[0057]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print P obtained by printing out image data S0 or processed image data S1 to which shooting location information P0 and shooting date / time information T0 are assigned. As shown in FIG. 4A, the print P includes “Yokohama 4/10/02 10:00” representing the shooting location and the shooting date and time in the image. When the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are described in the tag information of the image data S0, the shooting location and the shooting date / time are printed on the back side of the print P as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4C, in the case of a bordered print, the shooting location and the shooting date and time may be printed on the edge of the print.
[0058]
Note that image processing is similarly performed in the image processing means 23 of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, the image processing means 32 of the image server 3, and the image processing means 42 of the laboratory 4.
[0059]
Here, in the camera-equipped mobile phones 1 and 2 and the image server 3, there is a limitation on the transmission capacity and the display color of the display medium. Therefore, after the sharpness process in FIG. Color reduction processing for reducing the number of colors is performed to obtain processed image data S1, S2, corrected image data S1 ′, or processed image data S3. Since the color gamut of the liquid crystal monitors 14 and 24 of the camera-equipped mobile phones 1 and 2 is narrower than the color gamut of a monitor such as a personal computer, color reduction processing is performed so as to effectively use the narrow color gamut. .
[0060]
Further, in the image processing means 13 and 23 of the camera-equipped mobile phones 1 and 2, the image data S <b> 0 is imaged by a simple calculation as compared with the image processing means 32 of the image server 3 or the image processing means 42 of the laboratory 4. Processing is performed. Further, the color correction process and the sharpness process may be omitted.
[0061]
On the other hand, the image processing means 42 of the laboratory 4 further performs a print output process for converting the image data after the sharpness processing into a device signal of the printer 43 as shown by the broken line after the sharpness processing in FIG. Completed image data S4 is obtained.
[0062]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the camera-equipped mobile phone 1. First, photographing is performed by the camera 11, and image data S0 is acquired (step S1). On the other hand, the input means 17 accepts the input of the use and / or image quality of the image data S0 by the user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 (step S2), and determines the image processing location based on the input use and / or image quality. The image processing location where image processing is performed on the image data S0 in the means 16 is determined, and location information B0 is generated (step S3).
[0063]
Then, the controller 15 refers to the location information B0 to determine whether the image processing location is the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 (step S4). If step S4 is affirmed, the image processing unit 13 performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S1 (step S5), and the process proceeds to step S8. Even when step S4 is negative, the process proceeds to step S8.
[0064]
On the other hand, GPS information G0 is acquired by the GPS means 18 (step S6), the database DB1 stored in the storage means 71 is referred to, and shooting location information P0 is acquired based on the GPS information G0 (step S7). ). The shooting location information P0 is given to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 together with the shooting date / time information T0 (step S8). When the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 14 in this state, the displayed image includes the shooting location and the shooting date and time as shown in FIG.
[0065]
Next, in step S9, monitoring is started as to whether or not a transmission instruction has been issued by the user. If step S9 is affirmed, the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 is the location information B0, transmission destination information, and print output. Is sent to the image server 3 together with the recipient information of the print P (step S10), and the process is terminated.
[0066]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the image server 3. First, the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 is received (step S11), and the image data is based on the location information B0 given to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1. The image processing location for S0 is determined (step S12).
[0067]
If it is determined that the image processing place is the camera-equipped mobile phone 1, since the processed image data S1 has been transmitted, the processed image data S1 is stored in the storage means 33 (step S13). When it is determined that the image processing place is the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 or the laboratory 4, the unprocessed image data S0 is stored in the storage unit 33 (step S14). When it is determined that the image processing place is the image server 3, the image processing unit 32 performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S3 (step S15). Data S3 is stored in the storage means 33 (step S16).
[0068]
When the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 and S3 are stored, the URL generating unit 34 generates a URL representing the storage location of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 and S3 (step S17). Then, an e-mail with a URL is created by the mail creating means 35 (step S18), and the e-mail is sent to the destination corresponding to the destination information sent together with the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 ( Step S19), the process is terminated.
[0069]
When the destination of the e-mail is the camera-equipped mobile phone 2, it is determined in the e-mail whether the URL given to the e-mail is for the image data S0 or the processed image data S1. Described.
[0070]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the laboratory 4. First, an e-mail transmitted from the image server 3 is received (step S21). Next, the communication means 41 accesses the URL given to the e-mail (step S22), and the image data S0 is downloaded (step S23). Then, the image processing unit 42 performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S4 (step S24). The processed image data S4 is printed out by the printer 43 to obtain a print P (step S25). When the print output is completed, the notification means 44 notifies the recipient of the print P that the print output has been completed (step S26), and the process ends.
[0071]
As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the print location and the shooting date and time are given to or printed on the back surface or the edge of the image.
[0072]
Note that the print P is sent to the lab 4 by the user of the receiving destination (for example, the camera-equipped mobile phone 1) who receives the notification, or is delivered from the lab 4 to the user.
[0073]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. First, an e-mail transmitted from the image server 3 is received (step S31). Next, the communication means 41 accesses the URL given to the e-mail (step S32), and the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 is downloaded (step S33).
[0074]
Then, based on the description of the e-mail, it is determined whether the downloaded image data is unprocessed image data S0 (step S34). If step S34 is affirmed, unprocessed image data S0 is downloaded. Therefore, the image processing means 23 performs image processing on the image data S0 to obtain processed image data S2 (step S35). The processed image data S2 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24 (step S36), and the process ends.
[0075]
On the other hand, if step S34 is negative, since the processed image data S1 has been downloaded, the processed image data S1 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 24 (step S36), and the process ends.
[0076]
As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal monitor 24 displays an image to which the shooting location and the shooting date and time are given.
[0077]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 representing the shooting location of the image data S0 are acquired, and the shooting location information P0 and the shooting date / time information T0 are attached to the image and reproduced. Therefore, by referring to the reproduced image, it is possible to immediately recognize the shooting location and shooting date / time of the image data.
[0078]
Further, if the GPS information G0 is acquired and the location information corresponding to the GPS information G0 is acquired with reference to the database DB1 in which the GPS information G0 and the location information are associated with each other, the shooting location information P0 can be easily acquired. can do.
[0079]
In the above embodiment, the shooting location information P0 is obtained with reference to the databases DB1 and DB2 in which the GPS information G0 and the location information are associated with each other. However, the shooting location information P0 is displayed as map information based on an electronic map. If it is added to the data S0 or the processed image data S1, when the image data S0 or the processed image data is reproduced, a map of the shooting location can be reproduced together with the image as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the shooting location is indicated by a mark on the map. Thus, the shooting location can be more easily recognized by using the shooting location information P0 as map information of the shooting location.
[0080]
In the above embodiment, the camera-equipped mobile phone 1 acquires only the GPS information G0, describes this in the tag information of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1, and transmits it to the image server 3. The shooting location information P0 may be added to the image data S0 or the processed image data S1 based on the GPS information G0. In this case, the camera-equipped mobile phones 1 and 2 may omit the shooting location information acquisition means 19 and 29 and the storage means 71 and 72 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the image server 3 stores the database DB1 in the storage unit 33, and further refers to the database DB1 based on the GPS information G0 described in the tag information of the image data S0 or the processed image data S1, and the shooting location information P0. What is necessary is just to provide the imaging | photography location information acquisition means 37 which acquires.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system including an image reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating processing performed in an image processing unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which image data with shooting date / time information is reproduced on a mobile phone with camera. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print of image data with shooting location information and shooting date / time information. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the image server. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the laboratory. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which an image is displayed when shooting location information is map information. Schematic block diagram showing a configuration of an image processing system including an image reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
1, 2 Mobile phone with camera 3 Image server 4 Lab 5 Mobile phone communication network 11, 21 Camera 12, 22, 31, 41 Communication means 13, 23, 32, 42 Image processing means 14, 24 Liquid crystal monitor 15, 25, 36 , 45 Controller 16, 26 Image processing place determination means 17, 27 Input means 18, 28 GPS means 19, 29, 37 Shooting place information acquisition means 33 Storage means 34 URL generation means 35 Mail creation means 43 Printer 44 Notification means

Claims (12)

In an image reproduction method for reproducing image data,
Obtaining shooting location information representing the shooting location of the image data;
An image reproduction method, wherein the image location information is added to the image data for reproduction. The image data is provided with GPS information, and the corresponding location information corresponding to the GPS information assigned to the image data is obtained by referring to a database in which GPS information and location information are associated with each other. The image reproduction method according to claim 1, wherein the image reproduction method is acquired as information. 3. The image reproduction method according to claim 1, wherein the shooting location information is map information representing a map of the shooting location. Further acquiring shooting date and time information representing the shooting date and time of the image data,
4. The image reproduction method according to claim 1, wherein the photographing date / time information is further added to the image data for reproduction. In an image reproduction apparatus provided with reproduction means for reproducing image data,
Further comprising a shooting location information acquisition means for acquiring shooting location information representing a shooting location of the image data,
The image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction means is means for reproducing the image data by adding the shooting location information. In the case where the image data is provided with GPS information,
A storage means for storing a database in which GPS information and location information are associated with each other;
6. The photographing location information acquiring means is means for acquiring, as the photographing location information, corresponding location information corresponding to GPS information given to the image data with reference to the database. Image playback device. The image reproducing device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the shooting location information is map information representing a map of the shooting location. The shooting location information acquisition means is means for further acquiring shooting date / time information representing the shooting date / time of the image data,
The image reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reproducing unit is a unit that further adds the shooting date / time information to the image data and reproduces the image data. In a program for causing a computer to execute an image reproduction method for reproducing image data,
A procedure for acquiring shooting location information representing a shooting location of the image data;
A program for reproducing the image data by adding the shooting location information to the image data. The image data is provided with GPS information,
The procedure of acquiring the shooting location information refers to a procedure of referring to a database in which GPS information and location information are associated with each other and acquiring corresponding location information corresponding to the GPS information assigned to the image data as the shooting location information. The program according to claim 9. The program according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the shooting location information is map information representing a map of the shooting location. The method further includes a step of obtaining shooting date / time information representing the shooting date / time of the image data,
The program according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the procedure of acquiring the shooting location information is a procedure of further adding the shooting date / time information to the image data and reproducing the image data.

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