JP2009116795A - Information search device, electronic camera and information search method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate search for desired information through information recorded in advance. <P>SOLUTION: A digital camera detects the position of the camera by processing in a CPU 101 according to GPS signals received by a GPS sensor 107, and records a history of detected positions in a memory 114. A space/time database recorded in a wirelessly connected server device or in a memory card 115 is searched for desired information on the position history and position data in information recorded in advance in the space/time database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information search apparatus, an electronic camera, and an information search method.

  Conventionally, various methods for searching for desired information from various information such as a captured image recorded in a camera have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic camera that, when a user inputs a keyword such as a file name, a shooting date, and a name, searches for a corresponding image from recorded images based on the keyword. .

JP 2006-166193 A

  The electronic camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 is troublesome for the user because a search keyword must be input. Therefore, there is a demand for a method that can easily search for desired information from information recorded in advance without inputting a keyword.

An information search device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a position detection unit for detecting a position, a position history recording unit for recording a history of positions detected by the position detection unit, and a database in which information having position data is recorded in advance. A search unit that searches for desired information based on the position history recorded by the position history recording unit and the position data.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information search device according to the first aspect, the search unit specifies an area within a predetermined range from the position history, and searches the database for information having position data corresponding to the specified area. To do.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information search apparatus according to the second aspect, an operation history recording unit that records an operation history, and information searched by the search unit based on the operation history recorded by the operation history recording unit And a classification unit for classifying the items.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the information search device according to the second aspect, further comprising a classification unit that classifies information searched by the search unit based on a distance between a position history and a position represented by the position data. It is.
The invention according to claim 5 is the information search device according to claim 2, further comprising an operation history recording unit that records an operation history, wherein the search unit is specified based on the operation history recorded by the operation history recording unit. It is intended to change the scope of the area to be operated.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information search device according to the first aspect, the search unit specifies an area surrounded by a position history, and stores information having position data corresponding to the specified area from the database. Search.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the information retrieval apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the information retrieval apparatus further includes a classification unit that classifies the information retrieved by the retrieval unit according to the area of the area identified by the retrieval unit.
The invention according to claim 8 is the information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a display unit for displaying information searched by the search unit.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the information search device according to the eighth aspect, the display unit displays a map and displays information searched by the search unit at a corresponding position on the map.
An electronic camera according to a tenth aspect of the invention includes the information search device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects and an imaging unit that images a subject.
The invention of claim 11 is the electronic camera according to claim 10, wherein the search unit is an image picked up by the image pickup unit having the position data detected by the position detection unit and recorded in the database. It is searched as desired information.
An information search method according to the invention of claim 12 detects a position, records a history of the detected position, and based on a recorded position history and position data from a database in which information having position data is recorded in advance. Thus, the desired information is searched.

  According to the present invention, desired information can be easily retrieved from information recorded in advance.

-First embodiment-
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a camera system including a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera system shown in FIG. 1 includes a digital camera 1, an access point 2, and a server device 3. The access point 2 and the server device 3 are connected via the Internet.

  The digital camera 1 is an electronic camera that takes a subject in accordance with a user's shooting instruction and acquires captured image information. The digital camera 1 also has a wireless communication function for performing wireless communication with the access point 2. By this wireless communication, the digital camera 1 and the server device 3 are connected via the access point 2 and the Internet. The configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS.

  The access point 2 is a device for enabling various devices including the digital camera 1 having a wireless communication function to communicate using a network such as the Internet. When the digital camera 1 and the access point 2 perform wireless communication, the digital camera 1 and the server device 3 are connected as described above.

  The server device 3 stores a database of information called a space-time database. In this space-time database, various information is recorded in association with the acquisition position and acquisition time of the information. For example, photographic image information acquired by the digital camera 1 or another camera, character information, audio information, and the like are recorded in the space-time database in association with the acquisition position and acquisition time.

  Next, the configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the digital camera 1. 2, the digital camera 1 includes a shutter button 11, a power button 12, a zoom button 13, a playback button 14, a menu button 15, a delete button 16, a jog dial 17, a determination button 18, and a LAN (Local Area Network) access. LED (Light Emitting Diode) 19, strobe charging LED 20, AF (Auto Focus) LED 21, memory access LED 22, power LED 23, and monitor 104.

  The shutter button 11 is an operation button for the user to give a shooting instruction to the digital camera 1 and has a two-stage switch of half-press and full-press. The power button 12 is an operation button for the user to switch the main power source of the digital camera 1 from on to off or from off to on. The zoom button 13 is an operation button used when the user changes the focal length of the photographing lens of the digital camera 1.

  The playback button 14 is an operation button for the user to instruct the digital camera 1 to play back image data. The menu button 15 is an operation button for the user to instruct the digital camera 1 to call a menu screen. The delete button 16 is an operation button used when the user deletes image data from the memory card loaded in the digital camera 1.

  The jog dial 17 is a rotatable operation member for a user to give an instruction to move the cursor on the screen. The determination button 18 is an operation button for the user to determine setting contents on the menu screen.

  The LAN access LED 19 is a display device that lights up when the digital camera 1 is performing wireless communication with the access point 2. When the LED 19 for LAN access is turned on, the user can be notified that the digital camera 1 is communicating. The strobe charging LED 20 is a display device that is lit while the strobe is being charged. When the strobe charging LED 20 is turned on before photographing, the user can be informed that the strobe is being charged and preparation for photographing is not completed.

  The AF LED 21 is a display device for informing the user of the AF in-focus state. The memory access LED 22 is a display device that lights up in a memory access state, that is, when data is being written to a memory card loaded in the digital camera 1 and when data is being read from the memory card. The power LED 23 is a display device that lights up when the digital camera 1 is in a power-on state.

  The monitor 104 is a color display device using an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various images. For example, when the monitor 104 displays a through image, the monitor 104 is used as a viewfinder at the time of shooting. The through image (through image) is a photographed image of a subject displayed on the monitor 104 in real time when an operation mode such as a photographing mode or an information search mode described later is set in the digital camera 1. is there. Further, the monitor 104 can also display a captured image, display a menu screen, and the like.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the digital camera 1. As shown in this block diagram, the digital camera 1 includes a CPU 101, a compression / expansion circuit 102, a display driver 103, a monitor 104, a key input unit 105, a wireless LAN circuit 106, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 107, and a motion sensor 108. , Capacitor 109, battery 110, strobe 111, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) driver 112, CCD 113, and memory 114. A memory card 115 as a recording medium is loaded in a card slot (not shown).

  The CPU 101 is a circuit for executing various processes and controls, and is configured using a microcomputer or the like. The compression / decompression circuit 102 is a circuit that compresses / decompresses captured image data. The display driver 103 is a drive circuit that controls an image displayed on the monitor 104. The key input unit 105 is a circuit that detects operations of buttons, switches, dials, and the like provided in the digital camera 1.

  The wireless LAN circuit 106 is a communication circuit for communicating with an external device wirelessly. By performing wireless communication with the access point 2 by the wireless LAN circuit 106, the digital camera 1 is connected to the server apparatus 3 via the Internet. Note that WiFi positioning may be performed using a wireless LAN. In this case, GPS is unnecessary.

  The GPS sensor 107 receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite and outputs it to the CPU 101. Based on this GPS signal, the CPU 101 detects the current position of the digital camera 1. The motion sensor 108 detects the posture change of the digital camera 1 in each direction of pitch, yaw, and roll. Note that when the optical axis of the digital camera 1 is oriented in the horizontal direction, the change in posture in the pitch direction represents a change in posture about an axis that is orthogonal to the optical axis, that is, a change in elevation angle, and a change in posture in the yaw direction. Represents a change in posture around an axis perpendicular to the optical axis, that is, a change in azimuth. Further, the posture change in the roll direction represents a posture change around the optical axis, that is, a change in the tilt of the digital camera 1.

  The capacitor 109 is charged by receiving electric power from the battery 110 and is used for light emission of the strobe 111. It is also used to drive the camera as a backup power source in case of emergency. The battery 110 is a power source such as a lithium ion rechargeable battery that supplies power necessary for operating the digital camera 1.

  The strobe 111 enables photographing even in a dark environment by irradiating the subject with auxiliary light. The CCD driver 112 is a circuit for driving the CCD 113. The CCD 113 is an image sensor for capturing a subject image via a photographing lens. When a subject image is picked up by the CCD 113, an image pickup signal is output from the CCD 113 to the CCD driver 112. The imaging signal is converted into captured image data by the CCD driver 112 and then output to the CPU 101.

  The memory 114 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and stores programs, data, and the like for use in control executed by the CPU 101. Further, the memory 114 records the position history of the digital camera 1 detected by the CPU 101 and the user operation history detected by the key input unit 105 based on the GPS signal output from the GPS sensor 107 described above. The The memory card 115 stores various information such as photographed image information acquired by the digital camera 1 under the control of the CPU 101. Note that information is recorded in the memory card 115 in association with the acquisition position and the acquisition time, as in the server device 3 of FIG. 1 described above. That is, the memory card 115 stores a space-time database based on information acquired by the digital camera 1.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 1 will be described. The digital camera 1 can set various operation modes such as a shooting mode for acquiring a shot image and an information search mode for searching for information from a space-time database according to a user operation.

  When the shooting mode is set, the digital camera 1 acquires a through image as described above based on the image of the subject imaged by the CCD 113 and displays it on the monitor 104 before imaging the subject. . When a shooting instruction is performed by the user operating the shutter button 11, the digital camera 1 captures a subject and acquires a captured image in accordance with the shooting instruction, and stores information on the acquired captured image in the memory card 115. Record.

  When recording photographed image information in the memory card 115, the digital camera 1 adds various information at the time of photographing as meta information to the photographed image information. For example, various information such as the shooting time, the angle of view of the shot image, the focal length, the shutter speed, the position of the main subject, and the distance to the main subject are added as meta information to the shot image information and recorded in the memory card 115. . The meta information includes position information of the digital camera 1 detected at the time of shooting using the GPS sensor 107. That is, the image picked up by the CCD 113 has information (data) related to the position detected by the CPU 101 based on the GPS signal output from the GPS sensor 107 as meta information. The captured image information to which such meta information is added is recorded in the memory card 115, so that the information of the captured image acquired by the digital camera 1 is associated with the acquisition position and acquisition time of the memory card 115. Recorded in space-time database.

  Further, at this time, the digital camera 1 detects the orientation of the digital camera 1 at the time of shooting based on the posture change of the digital camera 1 detected by the motion sensor 108. At this time, the orientation of the digital camera 1 at the time of shooting is detected by obtaining an azimuth angle representing the horizontal direction of the digital camera 1 and an elevation angle representing the vertical direction of the digital camera 1. The captured image information may be further associated with the acquisition direction and recorded in the space-time database of the memory card 115 by adding the detected shooting direction information to the meta information.

  A part of the captured image information recorded in the memory card 115 may be transmitted from the digital camera 1 to the server device 3 in accordance with a user operation and recorded in the space-time database in the server device 3. At this time, information such as the position, orientation, and time of the digital camera 1 detected when the captured image is acquired is transmitted as meta information together with the captured image information. By recording the meta information together with the captured image information, the captured image information is recorded in the space-time database of the server device 3 in association with the acquisition position, the acquisition time, the acquisition direction, and the like. That is, in the space-time database of the memory card 115 or the server device 3, information having meta information such as position data, direction data, time data when the information is created, and the like is recorded.

  On the other hand, when the information retrieval mode is set, the digital camera 1 retrieves desired information from the space-time database stored in the server device 3 or the memory card 115 and displays the retrieval result on the monitor 104 to the user. Present. Note that the search result of the information recorded in the space-time database of the server device 3 is transmitted to the digital camera 1 via the Internet and the access point 2.

  When the digital camera 1 retrieves information from the space-time database as described above, the digital camera 1 determines information to be retrieved based on the position history recorded in the memory 114. In other words, desired information is retrieved from the space-time database based on the history of places visited by the user with the digital camera 1 in the past.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method for searching for information in the digital camera 1. In this figure, reference numeral 30 represents the history of the position of the digital camera 1 recorded in the memory 114, and it is assumed that the position history is recorded in the order of L (01) to L (09). For such a position history 30, the digital camera 1 specifies a region as indicated by reference numeral 31 as a target region for searching for information. This region 31 is a region within a predetermined range from the position history 30, for example, within 10 m.

  4 is identified, the digital camera 1 searches the space-time database of the server device 3 or the memory card 115 for information having position data corresponding to the region 31. That is, information such as a captured image to which position information corresponding to the region 31 is added as the above-described meta information is retrieved from the space-time database and extracted. The retrieved information is displayed on the monitor 104 and presented to the user.

  For example, it is assumed that captured images P (01) to P (08) sequentially acquired at each position shown in FIG. 4 are recorded in the space-time database together with meta information representing the position information. In such a case, the captured images acquired within the region 31, that is, P (01), P (02), P (04), P (06), and P (08) are retrieved from the space-time database, and digital It is displayed on the monitor 104 in the camera 1. On the other hand, captured images acquired outside the region 31, that is, P (03), P (05), and P (07) are excluded from search targets. Therefore, these captured images are not included in the search result displayed on the monitor 104 of the digital camera 1.

  Information retrieved from the space-time data as described above is classified according to the acquisition date and time of the information, the operation history of the digital camera 1, or the distance between the position history and the acquisition position of the information, and is displayed on the monitor 104. Is done.

  FIG. 6 classifies the file names of the captured images P (01), P (02), P (04), P (06), and P (08) retrieved in FIG. This is an example of a screen displayed as a list on the monitor 104 as an information search result. On this screen, the position of the cursor 32 can be moved according to the operation of the jog dial 17. When the enter button 18 is pressed, the captured image selected by the cursor 32 at that time is displayed on the monitor 104. The list display may be a thumbnail (reduced image) list.

  When classifying information according to the operation history of the digital camera 1, the user operation history recorded in the memory 114 is read. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation history read from the memory 114. This operation history includes operations such as a detaching cap of the photographing lens, a power-on operation, a photographing mode selecting operation, a half-pressing operation of the shutter button 11 (focus adjustment operation), and a full-pressing operation of the shutter button 11 (photographing operation). Represents the history of. For example, at date DT (01), no operation is detected in the digital camera 1, and at date DT (02), an operation to remove the cap of the taking lens is detected. All operations are detected at the date and time (06). Such an operation history is detected by the digital camera 1 together with L (01) to L (09) represented by the position history 30 in FIG. 4 at each date and time of DT (01) to DT (09), and the memory 114 Is recorded.

  Based on the operation history of FIG. 5 described above, the captured images P (01), P (02), P (04), P (06) and P (08) searched in FIG. 4 are classified as follows. can do. For example, by setting the priority of the position history when no operation is performed in the operation history to 0, and increasing the priority by 1 every time any operation is performed, the priority is given to the position history. Set. That is, the priority of L (01) corresponding to the date and time DT (01) is set to 0, the priority of L (02) corresponding to the date and time DT (02) is set to 1, and L (02) corresponding to the date and time DT (06) is set. The priority of 06) is set to 5. Similarly, priorities are set for L (01) to L (09), respectively.

  When the priority of the position history is set in this way, the retrieved captured images P (01), P (02), P (04), P (06) and P (08) are set to the position history closest to the respective shooting positions. Classify according to priority. That is, the captured image P (01) is classified based on the priority of L (03) that is the closest point from the shooting position, and the captured image P (02) is the closest point from the shooting position. Classification is based on the priority of a certain L (04). Similarly, the captured images P (04) and P (08) are classified based on the priority of L (06) that is the closest point from the capturing position, and the captured image P (06) is captured. Classification is based on the priority of L (01), which is the closest point from the position. Note that the plurality of captured images P (04) and P (08) corresponding to the same position L (06) are further classified according to the respective shooting dates and times. Thereby, it classify | categorizes in order of P (04), P (08), P (02), P (01), and P (06).

  FIG. 7 is an example of a screen in which the file names of the captured images classified based on the operation history by the method as described above are displayed as a list on the monitor 104 as information search results. When the enter button 18 is pressed on this screen, the photographed image selected by the cursor 32 at that time is displayed on the monitor 104 as in FIG. The list display may be a thumbnail (reduced image) list.

  In the above description, the retrieved information may be classified in consideration of other operation history information and information other than the operation history, for example, information such as a shooting direction, a field angle, an elevation angle, and a zoom operation. .

  Further, instead of classifying information based on the operation history as described above, the area range specified when searching for information may be changed based on the operation history. At this time, based on the operation history of FIG. 5 recorded in the memory 114, the range of the region 31 in FIG. 4 is changed for each place. That is, the priority according to the operation history is set for L (01) to L (09) of the position history 30 as described above. The region 31 is specified so that the area around the place with the higher priority is wider and the area around the place with the lower priority is narrower, and information search is performed from the space-time database.

  For example, an area within 1 m around L (01) for which priority 0 is set, and an area within 5 m around L (02) for which priority 1 is set are used as information search target areas. Identify each one. Similarly, around L (03), L (07), L (08) and L (09) for which priority 2 is set, 10 m for L (04) around which priority 3 is set An area within 15 m is identified around L (05) in which priority 4 is set, and an area within 30 m is identified around L (06) in which priority 5 is set. In this way, based on the operation history of the digital camera 1, it is possible to change the area range specified when searching for information from the space-time database.

  Next, a method of classifying information searched from the space-time database according to the distance between the position history and the acquisition position is described as the captured images P (01), P (02), P (04) searched in FIG. P (06) and P (08) will be described as an example. In this case, each captured image is classified according to the distance from the shooting position data added as meta information to each captured image to the point closest to the captured position in the position history 30. That is, the photographed image P (01) is classified based on the distance from the photographing position to the nearest L (03), and the photographed image P (02) is classified to the nearest L (04) from the photographing position. Sort based on distance. Similarly, the photographed images P (04) and P (08) are classified based on the distance from the photographing position to the closest L (06), and the photographed image P (06) is most classified from the photographing position. Classification is based on the distance to the nearest L (01). Thereby, it classify | categorizes in order of P (04), P (06), P (01), P (02), and P (08).

  FIG. 8 shows the monitor 104 using the file name of each photographed image classified based on the distance between the position history and the photographing position represented by the position data added to each photographed image by the method described above as an information search result. It is an example of the screen displayed as a list. When the enter button 18 is pressed on this screen, the photographed image selected by the cursor 32 at that time is displayed on the monitor 104 as in FIGS. The list display may be a thumbnail (reduced image) list.

  Note that the information retrieved from the space-time database is not limited to the information of the captured image acquired by the digital camera 1. For example, information on a photographed image by another camera, character information other than the photographed image, voice information, and the like may be recorded in a space-time database and retrieved. Any information that is recorded in the space-time database in association with the acquisition position can be a search target. That is, the CPU 101 can search various information having data regarding the position from the space-time database.

  When the information retrieval mode is set, the digital camera 1 retrieves various information from the space-time database by executing the processing as described above. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing at this time. This flowchart is executed by the CPU 101. Hereinafter, the flowchart of FIG. 9 will be described.

  In step S10, the camera position is detected. Here, when the GPS signal is received by the GPS sensor 107, the CPU 101 detects the position of the digital camera 1, that is, the position of the CPU 101 itself based on the GPS signal. In step S20, the history of the camera position detected in step S10 is recorded in the memory 114. In step S <b> 30, a user operation history for the digital camera 1 is recorded in the memory 114. Thereby, the position history and the operation history as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are recorded.

  In step S40, it is determined whether or not information is retrieved from the space-time database. If the information search mode is set in the digital camera 1, it is determined that information is to be searched, and the process proceeds to step S50. Otherwise, the process returns to step S10, and the recording of the position history and the operation history is continued.

  In step S50, the position history recorded in step S20 is read from the memory 114. In step S60, based on the position history read in step S50, a search target area for searching for information is specified. At this time, as described above, an area within a certain range may be specified from the position history. Alternatively, the area range to be specified may be changed based on the operation history recorded in the memory 114 in step S30.

  In step S70, information having position data corresponding to the area specified in step S60 is searched from the space-time database. That is, information with location information representing a location in the area added as meta information is searched from the space-time database stored in the server device 3 or the memory card 115. Thus, for example, the captured images P (01), P (02), P (04), P (06), and P (08) are searched for the position history 30 in FIG.

  In step S80, the display order is set for the information retrieved in step S70. Here, the display order is set by classifying the retrieved information using any of the classification methods described above. That is, each searched information is classified according to the information acquisition date and time, the operation history of the digital camera 1, or the distance between the position history and the acquisition position of the information, and the display order is set according to the classification result. .

  In step S90, the search result of the information performed in step S70 is displayed on the monitor 104. At this time, the information searched in step S70 is displayed in a list on the monitor 104 in accordance with the display order set in step S80. Thereby, for example, a screen as shown in any of FIGS.

  In step S100, it is determined whether any information has been selected in the search result displayed in step S90. If any information is selected, the process proceeds to step S110, and the information is output in step S110. Thereby, for example, on any of the screens of FIGS. 6 to 8, the captured image of the file name selected by the cursor 32 when the enter button 18 is pressed is displayed on the monitor 104.

  When step S110 is executed, the flowchart of FIG. 9 ends. The digital camera 1 searches the desired information from the space-time database and presents it to the user by executing the above-described processing in the CPU 101.

According to 1st Embodiment described above, there exists the following effect.
(1) The digital camera 1 detects the position of the digital camera 1 by the processing of the CPU 101 (step S10), and records the history of the detected position in the memory 114 (step S20). Based on the position history and the position data included in the information recorded in advance in the space-time database, desired information is retrieved from the space-time database (step S70). Since it did in this way, desired information can be searched easily from the information recorded beforehand.

(2) When searching for information in step S70, the CPU 101 specifies an area within a predetermined range from the position history recorded in the memory 114 in step S60, and information having position data corresponding to the specified area is spatio-temporal. We decided to search from the database. Since it did in this way, the user can search the digital camera 1 for information according to the user's preferences, preferences, and interests, such as information about places visited in the past, just by carrying the digital camera 1 around. .

(3) The digital camera 1 records the user's operation history in the memory 114 (step S30). Based on this operation history, in step S80, the information retrieved in step S70 can be classified and the display order can be set. Alternatively, in step S80, the retrieved information is classified and the display order is set based on the distance between the position history recorded in the memory 114 and the position represented by the position data of the information retrieved in step S70. You can also. Since it did in this way, the search result of information can be shown to a user in an easy-to-understand manner.

(4) Also, based on the operation history recorded in the memory 114, the area range specified in step S60 can be changed. Since it did in this way, the information search according to a position history and an operation history can be performed.

-Second Embodiment-
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, an example in which a method different from the above is used when searching for desired information from the space-time database in the digital camera 1 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the information search method according to the present embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 33 represents the history of the position of the digital camera 1 recorded in the memory 114, and the position history is recorded in the order of L (10) to L (23). The digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment specifies areas as indicated by reference numerals 34 and 35 surrounded by the position history 33 as target areas for information search.

  When the areas 34 and 35 in FIG. 10 are specified, the digital camera 1 searches the space-time database of the server device 3 or the memory card 115 for information having position data corresponding to the areas 34 and 35. That is, information such as a photographed image to which position information corresponding to the regions 34 and 35 is added as the above-described meta information is retrieved from the space-time database and extracted. The retrieved information is displayed on the monitor 104 and presented to the user. It should be noted that the space-time database may be stored in the memory 114 in the camera, thereby eliminating the server device. In this case, you can see the photos you have taken and other people's photos that you have downloaded to your camera.

  For example, it is assumed that captured images P (11) to P (18) sequentially acquired at each position as shown in FIG. 10 are recorded in the space-time database together with meta information representing the position information. In such a case, the captured images acquired within the area 34, that is, P (11) and P (12), and the captured images acquired within the area 35, that is, P (15) and P (17). ) Is retrieved from the space-time database and displayed on the monitor 104 in the digital camera 1. On the other hand, captured images acquired at positions that do not belong to any of the regions 34 and 35, that is, P (13), P (14), P (16), and P (18) are excluded from the search targets. Therefore, these captured images are not included in the search result displayed on the monitor 104 of the digital camera 1.

  Information retrieved from the space-time data as described above is classified according to the acquisition date and time of the information or the area of the area specified at the time of information retrieval, and is displayed on the monitor 104.

  FIG. 11 classifies the file names of the captured images P (11), P (12), P (15) and P (17) retrieved in FIG. It is an example of a screen displayed as a list on the monitor 104 as a result. On this screen, the position of the cursor 32 can be moved according to the operation of the jog dial 17. When the enter button 18 is pressed on this screen, the captured image selected by the cursor 32 at that time is displayed on the monitor 104 as in FIGS. The list display may be a thumbnail (reduced image) list.

  On the other hand, when classifying information according to the area of the area specified at the time of information retrieval, each captured image retrieved in FIG. 10 can be classified as follows. For example, among the specified regions 34 and 35, the captured images P (15) and P (17) included in the region 35 having a larger area are given higher priority, and the captured images P included in the region 34 having a smaller area are included. The priority of (11) and P (12) is set lower than that. For a plurality of photographed images corresponding to the same region, that is, P (11) and P (12), and P (15) and P (17), each set is further classified according to the photographing date and time. As a result, it is classified in the order of P (15), P (17), P (11), and P (12).

  FIG. 12 is an example of a screen in which the file names of each captured image classified according to the area area specified by the method described above are displayed as a list on the monitor 104 as an information search result. When the enter button 18 is pressed on this screen, the captured image selected by the cursor 32 at that time is displayed on the monitor 104 as in FIGS.

According to 2nd Embodiment described above, there exists the following effect.
(1) When the digital camera 1 searches for information by the processing of the CPU 101, the digital camera 1 identifies an area surrounded by the position history recorded in the memory 114, and stores information having position data corresponding to the identified area. Search from space-time database. Since it did in this way, as demonstrated in 1st Embodiment, according to a user's liking, a preference, and an interest degree, for example like the information regarding the place visited in the past just by carrying a digital camera 1 by a user. Information can be searched in the digital camera 1.

(2) The digital camera 1 classifies the retrieved information and sets the display order according to the area of the area specified as described above by the processing of the CPU 101. Since it did in this way, the search result of information can be presented to a user in an easy-to-understand manner using a method different from that described in the first embodiment.

  In each of the embodiments described above, when the retrieved information is displayed on the monitor 104, a map in the vicinity of the information acquisition position is displayed on the monitor 104, and retrieved at a corresponding position on the map. Information may be displayed. In this way, it is possible to inform the user in an easy-to-understand manner where the retrieved information is obtained. Further, at this time, the position history recorded in the digital camera 1 may be shown on the map. In this way, it is possible to easily inform the user of the positional relationship between the location where the user has visited in the past and the searched information. The map may be a two-dimensional (2D) map or a three-dimensional (3D) map.

  Further, when searching for information from the space-time database by the method described in the above embodiments, the position history satisfying a predetermined condition is excluded from the position history recorded in the digital camera 1. Also good. For example, information is searched based on only the position history whose moving speed is less than a predetermined value except for the position history whose moving speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. In this way, it is possible to search for information by excluding the position history recorded while traveling on vehicles such as trains, automobiles, and airplanes when traveling. Therefore, information on a place where the user actually stops can be searched.

  In each of the above embodiments, the digital camera 1 which is an electronic camera has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to other devices. For example, the present invention can be applied to a mobile electronic device such as a camera-equipped mobile phone. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied when searching and displaying various types of information such as image information recorded in a space-time database in advance in digital binoculars or field scopes that do not perform shooting.

  Each embodiment and various modifications described above are merely examples. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired.

It is a block diagram of the camera system by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the digital camera by one embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the search method of the information in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of operation history. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which classified and displayed the search result of the information in 1st Embodiment based on imaging | photography date. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which classified and displayed the search result of the information in 1st Embodiment based on the operation history. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which classified and displayed the search result of the information in 1st Embodiment according to the distance of a position history and an acquisition position. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which shows the flow of a process when searching various information from a space-time database. It is a figure for demonstrating the search method of the information in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which classified and displayed the search result of the information in 2nd Embodiment based on imaging | photography date. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen classified and displayed according to the area of the area which specified the search result of the information in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1: Digital camera 2: Access point 3: Server device

Claims (12)

A position detector for detecting the position;
A position history recording unit that records a history of the position detected by the position detection unit;
A search unit for searching for desired information based on the position history recorded by the position history recording unit and the position data from a database in which information having position data is recorded in advance; Information retrieval device. The information search device according to claim 1,
The information search apparatus, wherein the search unit specifies an area within a predetermined range from the position history, and searches the database for information having the position data corresponding to the specified area. The information search device according to claim 2,
An operation history recording unit for recording an operation history;
An information search apparatus, further comprising: a classification unit that classifies information searched by the search unit based on the operation history recorded by the operation history recording unit. The information search device according to claim 2,
An information search apparatus further comprising a classification unit that classifies information searched by the search unit based on a distance between the position history and the position represented by the position data. The information search device according to claim 2,
An operation history recording unit for recording the operation history is further provided,
The information search apparatus, wherein the search unit changes a range of the specified area based on the operation history recorded by the operation history recording unit. The information search device according to claim 1,
The information search device, wherein the search unit specifies an area surrounded by the position history, and searches the database for information having the position data corresponding to the specified area. The information search device according to claim 6,
The information search device further comprising a classification unit that classifies the information searched by the search unit according to the area of the area specified by the search unit. In the information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The information search device further comprising a display unit that displays information searched by the search unit. In the information search device according to claim 8,
The display unit displays a map and displays information searched by the search unit at a corresponding position on the map. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An electronic camera comprising: an imaging unit that images a subject. The electronic camera according to claim 10.
The retrieval unit retrieves, as the desired information, an image captured by the imaging unit having position data detected by the position detection unit and recorded in the database. camera. Detect the position,
Record the history of the detected position,
An information search method, wherein desired information is searched based on a history of recorded positions and the position data from a database in which information having position data is recorded in advance.

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