JP2004336543A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus capable of easily attaching a common classification item in common to the recording apparatus and other recording apparatuses to image data and recording the resulting image data. <P>SOLUTION: A system comprising a management apparatus for storing management data comprising many classification items and a plurality of the recording apparatuses for respectively photographing image data and recording the photographed image data onto a recording medium is proposed, wherein a plurality of the recording apparatuses respectively acquire the management data from the management apparatus, select a classification item in response to the image data among many of the classification items in the management data and record attaching information denoting the selected classification item onto the recording medium in cross-reference with the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus that records image data with additional information added thereto.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, image recording apparatuses for recording digital image data, such as digital cameras and digital video cameras, have been widely used. Such a device that records digital image data has a configuration in which image data is stored in a file format. Further, at that time, it is general that date and time information of the shooting time is also added to the image data and recorded.
[0003]
However, in these apparatuses, information on an event at the time of shooting is not recorded in image data. Therefore, if it is desired to record event information or the like in association with image data, a method of inputting by a user after shooting is adopted. ing.
[0004]
In this case, instead of using the video camera to associate event information with the image data, after capturing the image data from the video camera to a personal computer (PC), the event data is added to the image data using the application software of the PC. A method of associating information is common. In general, the user inputs the event information at this time by himself / herself.
[0005]
The event information associated with the image data as described above is also used when classifying a large amount of image data or searching for necessary image data.
[0006]
Apart from this, in recent years, image data shot using the Internet has also been disclosed to other people. Further, there is also used a system in which not only image data captured by oneself but also image data captured by a plurality of persons using respective image recording devices are collected on a server using the Internet and shared and viewed by everyone. And is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. This is very convenient when multiple people participate in the same event.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-209131
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when image data shot by a plurality of people is handled collectively, a very large amount of image data is handled, and as a result, there is a problem that classification and search of the image data become very difficult.
[0009]
To solve this problem, each user needs to input the event information and associate the event information with the image data. However, this work is very time-consuming and burdensome. It is limited to only the captured image data. That is, when a plurality of people participate in the same event, all photographers need to input information of the event.
[0010]
However, since the input of the event information is a very troublesome operation, not all users actually input the event information. Further, even if all users correctly input event information, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in that the expressions are each unique and there is no uniformity.
[0011]
For this reason, when image data taken by persons who participated in the same event are collected on a server or the like, the content of the event information is different or there is image data without event information There is a great possibility that it will be a situation. This may cause confusion when trying to classify and retrieve images based on event information associated with the image data.
[0012]
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to enable common recording items to be easily added and recorded between different recording devices.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the recording apparatus of the present invention includes: a recording unit that records image data on a recording medium; a communication unit that receives management data including a large number of classification items from outside the device; A control unit that selects a classification item corresponding to the image data from a large number of classification items, and controls the recording unit to record additional information indicating the selected classification item on the recording medium in association with the image data. The configuration was provided with.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[0015]
In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a system including a digital camera and a server as a schedule data management device.
[0016]
In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a digital camera uses a PC that can be connected to the Internet as a means for exchanging data with a schedule data management device. In this embodiment, an example in which a PC is used will be described. However, a configuration may be used in which the digital camera and the schedule data management device exchange data using other methods.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the entire system of the present embodiment.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, the system of this embodiment includes a digital camera 210, a PC 220, a digital camera 230, a PC 240, the Internet 250, and a schedule data management device 260.
[0019]
Here, the digital cameras 210 and 230 and the PCs 220 and 240 are connected using a general interface such as a USB. This may be wirelessly connected using Bluetooth or the like. The personal computers 220 and 240 and the schedule data management device 260 are connected using the Internet 250.
[0020]
In such a configuration, the management device 260 provides a schedule data creation service. By connecting the PC 220 to the management device 260, a user can create schedule data. At this time, the PC 220 functions as a Web terminal (client), and the management device 260 actually creates schedule data. The method of creating schedule data uses the same input method as the schedule service currently generally provided as a Web service.
[0021]
When a user creates schedule data, the user connects to the management unit 260 using the PC 220 and creates schedule data. When the schedule data is created, the management device 260 saves the schedule data as a file. It is possible to create and save a plurality of schedule data instead of just one. Here, an example in which the schedule data is created by the PC 220 has been described. However, since the management device 260 is a server, the schedule data can be created not only by the PC 220 but also by other devices that can be connected to the management device 260.
[0022]
Here, the schedule data will be described. FIG. 3 shows the structure of the schedule data.
[0023]
The example of FIG. 3 is data indicating a schedule related to a wedding. It is assumed that five events are scheduled for the wedding (reception reception, bride and groom entrance, greetings, second party, third party).
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 3, the schedule data is composed of a plurality of event information, and has a start date and time, an end date and time, an event content, and a location as attributes of one event information. In FIG. 3, one line represents one event information. The actual data storage format of the schedule data may be a commonly used format such as CSV or XML, or may be another unique format. FIG. 4 shows an example of data in CSV format.
[0025]
In this example, there are five events, and data corresponding to each event is described in the attribute of the event information. For example, the event “reception reception” has a date and time from 13:00 to 13:30 on March 3, 2003, and the location means Shinjuku.
[0026]
Thus, the schedule data is configured as a set of event information, and has date and time information as attribute information of each event information. In this example, an example of the simplest configuration of the schedule data has been described. However, a configuration having hierarchical event information or a configuration having other attribute information may be used.
[0027]
The PC 220 is connected not only to the management device 260 but also to the digital camera 210. When the PC 220 specifies the schedule data stored in the management device 260 and executes the download process, the PC 220 downloads the specified schedule data file and transfers it to the digital camera 210.
[0028]
When the digital camera 210 acquires the schedule data file, the digital camera 210 saves the file on the attached memory card. Further, the schedule data may be temporarily recorded in a memory inside the camera instead of the memory card.
[0029]
If the schedule data is stored in the memory card when the image is captured, the digital camera 210 associates the information of the classification item corresponding to the captured image data based on the schedule data and stores the information in the memory card. I do.
[0030]
For example, when an image is captured at the time described in the schedule data, the event information at that time is added to the image data and recorded. The schedule data shown in the examples of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 is held, and when the image is taken at 14:03 on March 3, 2003, the event content “Bride and groom entrance” and the place “Shinjuku” are called. The data is added to the image data captured at that time and recorded. Note that the digital camera 210 does not need to be connected to the PC 220 during shooting.
[0031]
When the PC 240 is connected to the digital camera 230 and the management device 260, the schedule data stored in the management device 260 is transferred to the digital camera 230 and stored using the PC 240, as in the case of the digital camera 230. It is possible to do.
[0032]
The point here is that the digital camera 230 uses the schedule data stored in the management device 260. In other words, the schedule data created using the PC 220 can also be used by the digital camera 230 if it is stored in the management device 260. Specifically, for example, the schedule data input by Mr. A can also be used by Mr. B, which means that the schedule data can be shared by a plurality of persons or a plurality of image recording apparatuses.
[0033]
Then, based on the schedule data common to the plurality of digital cameras, additional information indicating an event is added to the captured image and recorded, so that a common classification item can be used for images captured by different digital cameras. Can be added.
[0034]
Here, an example in which schedule data is used by two digital cameras has been described. However, schedule data can be used by more digital cameras with the same configuration. Therefore, even when many people participate in the same event, if one person inputs the schedule data, another person does not need to input the schedule data, which is very convenient.
[0035]
With such a configuration, it becomes possible to create schedule data in the schedule data management device and use the created schedule data with a plurality of digital cameras.
[0036]
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the digital camera and the schedule data management device exchange data using a method other than that shown in FIG.
[0037]
FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the entire system in this case.
[0038]
In FIG. 5, four devices, the digital cameras 310, 320, 380 and the portable terminal 350, share and use the schedule data. As in the case of FIG. 2, it is assumed that schedule data created using the PC 330 is stored in the schedule data management device 390.
[0039]
The digital camera 310 can acquire schedule data via the PC 330 just like the case of FIG. The digital camera 320 acquires schedule data from the PC 330 using a memory card 325 that can be used in both the PC 330 and the digital camera 320 without directly connecting to the PC 330.
[0040]
The portable terminal 350 is a device typified by a so-called mobile phone with a digital camera, and can be connected to the Internet 340 via the wireless base station 360. Therefore, connection to the management device 390 is also possible, and the configuration is such that schedule data can be obtained.
[0041]
The digital camera 380 can be connected to the Internet 340 by connecting to the mobile terminal 370, and can acquire schedule data via the wireless base station 360 as in the case of the digital camera 350.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 5, a configuration in which communication with the schedule data management device is performed using a device other than a PC such as a mobile phone that can be connected to the Internet, or a digital camera acquires schedule data by using a memory card. The present invention is also applied to the configuration.
[0043]
Next, the internal configuration and operation of the digital camera in FIG. 2 will be described.
[0044]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera to which the present invention is applied.
[0045]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an imaging unit that converts an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, performs predetermined processing, and outputs the processed signal. Reference numeral 102 denotes an encoder that compresses and encodes the image data output from the imaging unit 101 to the output by a known method. The encoder 102 encodes a still image according to the JPEG system and a moving image according to the MPEG system. A recording / reproducing unit 103 records / reproduces digital data such as image data and schedule data as a file on the memory card M. A decoder 104 decodes image data reproduced by the recording / reproducing unit 103 or image data received from an external device or the like. A display unit 105 displays an image according to the image data of the imaging unit 101 and the decoder 104 shell. A control unit 106 controls the operation of the entire camera, and has a microcomputer. An operation unit 107 includes various operation switches, an operation panel, a remote controller, and the like. Reference numeral 108 denotes a timer for measuring current date and time information. A communication processing unit 109 transmits and receives photographed image data and image data recorded on the memory card M to and from a server external to the device via a network, and receives schedule data from the schedule management device 240 in FIG. .
[0046]
The imaging unit 101 converts an optical image of a subject into an electric signal, converts the electric signal into a digital signal, performs various processes, and outputs the processed signal to the encoder 102 and the display unit 105. Upon receiving the recording instruction from the control unit 106, the encoder 103 encodes the image data output from the imaging unit 101, compresses the data amount, and outputs the data to the recording / reproducing unit 103. Here, the encoder 102 compresses still image data by the JPEG method, and compresses moving image data by the MPEG method.
[0047]
The recording / reproducing unit 103 adds various data according to a recording format to the image data output from the encoder 102 according to an instruction from the control unit 106, and records the image data on the memory card M. In this embodiment, one frame is recorded as one file for still image data, and a series of data to be recorded from a recording start instruction to a recording stop instruction is recorded as one file for moving image data. . When the recording / reproducing unit 103 receives date and time information and event information from the control unit 106 after recording is started, as described later, the data is recorded on the memory card M in association with the image data. At this time, the date and time information and the event information may be added and recorded as metadata of the image data in the same file as the image data, or may be recorded in a file different from the image data.
[0048]
At the time of reproduction, when there is a reproduction instruction from the operation unit 107, the control unit 106 issues a reproduction instruction to the recording / reproduction unit 103 to reproduce the specified file. The recording / reproducing unit 103 reproduces the designated image data file from the memory card M and outputs the file to the decoder 104. The decoder 104 decodes the reproduced image data, outputs the decoded image data to the display unit 105, and displays the image.
[0049]
It is also possible to transmit a file of image data recorded on the memory card M to the outside. In this case, the recording / reproducing unit 103 reproduces the specified file and then outputs it to the communication processing unit 109. The communication processing unit 109 communicates with an external server or the like via a transmission path, and transmits a reproduced image data file.
[0050]
The communication processing unit 109 receives, from a PC, schedule data downloaded from a schedule management device via a network, as shown in FIG. The recording / reproducing unit 103 records the schedule data on the memory card M.
[0051]
That is, in the system of FIG. 2, when there is a request for transmission of schedule data downloaded from the schedule management device 260 via the network 250 by the PCs 220 and 240, the communication processing unit 109 outputs the request to the control unit 106. The control unit 106 instructs the communication processing unit 109 to start receiving schedule data from the PCs 220 and 240, and instructs the recording / reproducing unit 103 to record the received schedule data.
[0052]
Further, when receiving the recording instruction from the operation unit 107, the control unit 106 acquires the current date and time information from the timer 108 and checks whether the schedule data is recorded on the memory card M. If there is no schedule data in the memory card M, the control unit 106 sends the date and time information to the recording and reproducing unit 103.
[0053]
If there is schedule data in the memory card M, the date and time information of each event information described in the schedule data is compared with the current date and time information to determine whether any event is being performed. If so, the event information is sent to the recording / reproducing unit 103. The control unit 106 has a built-in microcomputer, and these processes are described and executed by a program.
[0054]
The communication processing unit 109 can also receive image data from an external server. If the data received from the outside is image data, the communication processing unit 109 outputs the image data to the decoder 104.
[0055]
Next, the processing of the control unit 106 when capturing image data will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.
[0056]
When an instruction to start recording is given, current date and time information is obtained from the output of the timer 108 (step S601). Next, it is determined whether or not the schedule data is recorded on the memory card M (step S602). If the schedule data is recorded, the schedule data is read out by the recording / reproducing unit 103 and stored in the internal memory. Then, the date and time information of the event information of the schedule data is compared with the current date and time information (step S603). Since the event information of the schedule data has start date and time information and end date and time information as described with reference to FIG. 3, date and time information of all events is compared with current date and time information. If the current date and time is included in the date and time of any of the events, the current event information is extracted from the schedule data (step S604), and this event information is output to the recording / reproducing unit 103 to output the image data and the date and time information, The information is associated and recorded on the memory card M.
[0057]
If the schedule data is not recorded on the memory card M in step S601, and if the current date and time is not included in the date and time of each event information in the schedule data in step S602, the schedule is acquired from the timer 108. The current date and time information thus output is output to the recording / reproducing unit 103 (step S606).
[0058]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, by storing the schedule data in the digital camera in advance before shooting, additional information such as event information is automatically added to the image data based on the shooting time and the schedule data at the time of shooting. Can be recorded in association with.
[0059]
In addition, the schedule data is saved by the schedule data management device, and the schedule data is downloaded from the schedule data management device and stored in each of the plurality of digital cameras, so that the common schedule data can be used among the plurality of different digital cameras. To add event information.
[0060]
In the case of classifying the image data shot using the common schedule data in this manner, it is possible to classify the image data for each event data, so that the classification and the search of the image can be performed very easily. .
[0061]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0062]
In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which a PC and a digital camera can communicate with each other, and the PC functions as a schedule data management device.
[0063]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the entire system of the present embodiment.
[0064]
As shown in FIG. 7, the system of this embodiment includes a PC, digital cameras 710, 720, 730, and a memory card 740.
[0065]
Here, the digital cameras 710 and 720 and the PC 700 are connected using a general interface such as a USB. This may be wirelessly connected using Bluetooth or the like.
[0066]
In such a configuration, the PC 700 functions as a schedule data management device, and a user can create schedule data with the PC 700. The method of creating schedule data uses the same input method as general schedule management software currently provided as application software.
[0067]
When a user creates schedule data, the schedule data is created using the PC 700. The PC 700 saves the created schedule data as a file. In this embodiment, not only one but also a plurality of schedule data can be created and stored. The configuration of the schedule data is the same as that shown in FIG.
[0068]
The PC 700 and the digital camera 710 are connected by a cable. When the PC 700 specifies the schedule data and executes the transfer process, the PC 700 transfers the specified schedule data file to the digital camera 710.
[0069]
When the digital camera 710 acquires the schedule data file, the digital camera 710 saves the file on the recording medium of the digital camera. Note that a configuration in which schedule data is temporarily recorded in the internal memory of the digital camera instead of the memory card may be employed.
[0070]
When the schedule data is recorded on the memory card when the image is captured, the digital camera 710 associates the captured image data with the event information of the schedule data based on the schedule data as illustrated in FIG. And save.
[0071]
When the PC 700 is connected to the digital camera 720, the schedule data can be transferred from the PC 700 to the digital camera 720 and stored, as in the case of the digital camera 710.
[0072]
The digital camera 730 obtains schedule data from the PC 700 to the digital camera 730 using a memory card 740 that can be used in both the PC 700 and the digital camera 730 without directly connecting to the PC 700.
[0073]
With this configuration, the schedule data created by the PC 700 can be commonly used by a plurality of digital cameras capable of exchanging data with the PC 700. Further, since a PC is used, there are advantages that the scale of the system is small and it is not necessary to connect to the Internet. This is suitable, for example, when a family has a plurality of digital cameras.
[0074]
The internal configuration and operation of each digital camera in FIG. 7 are the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0075]
As described above, also in the present embodiment, the schedule data created by the PC is saved, and the schedule data is downloaded from the PC and saved in each of the plurality of digital cameras, so that the common schedule can be shared among a plurality of different digital cameras. Event information can be added using data.
[0076]
In the case of classifying the image data shot using the common schedule data in this manner, it is possible to classify the image data for each event data, so that the classification and the search of the image can be performed very easily. .
[0077]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the additional information is added to the captured image data using the schedule data shown in FIG. 3. However, in addition to the schedule data, management data having a large number of classification items may be added. It is also possible to adopt a configuration commonly used by a plurality of recording devices.
[0078]
For example, by using management data having a location, a region name, or the like as a classification item in common among a plurality of recording devices, a common classification item can be added as additional information to image data captured by different recording devices. Becomes possible. In recent years, a system for detecting position information by providing a GPS function to a portable terminal device represented by a camera-equipped mobile phone has been generally used. It is effective to add the additional information of the classification item based on the management data having the classification item.
[0079]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to add a common classification item between a plurality of different recording devices, and it is possible to very easily classify and search images.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of schedule data.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of schedule data.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another configuration of a system to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of recording using schedule data.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration of a system to which the present invention is applied.

Claims (13)

Recording means for recording image data on a recording medium;
Communication means for receiving management data comprising a large number of classification items from outside the device;
Controlling the recording unit to select a classification item corresponding to the image data from a number of classification items in the management data and record additional information indicating the selected classification item on the recording medium in association with the image data; A recording apparatus comprising: 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management data has time information corresponding to the classification item, and the control unit selects a classification item corresponding to the image data based on the time information. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit has a timer, and selects the classification item based on time information obtained by the timer and time information in the management data. The control means compares the time information with time information corresponding to each classification item in the management data, and when the time information is included in a range specified in the time information, the time information 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a classification item corresponding to the item is selected. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the management data has area information corresponding to the classification item, and the control unit selects a classification item corresponding to the image data based on the area information. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit receives the management data via a network from an external server storing the management data. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the management data is stored in the external server in a form that can be transmitted to another recording apparatus. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the recording unit to record the management data received by the communication unit on the recording medium. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the image data and the additional information as the same file. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the image data and the additional information as different files. A management device that stores management data composed of a large number of classification items, and a system that includes a plurality of recording devices that capture image data and record the image data on a recording medium,
The plurality of recording devices each obtain the management data from the management device, select a classification item according to the image data from among a large number of classification items in the management data, and add additional information indicating the selected classification item. A recording system for recording on the recording medium in association with the image data. The recording system according to claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of recording devices acquires the management data using the recording medium. The recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of recording apparatuses acquires the management data via a network.

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