JP2016152593A - Server device, portable device, imaging support method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support imaging by a user by recommending an appropriate imaging place and sample image according to the current state of imaging by the user.SOLUTION: A server device 2 holds in advance a recommended position for imaging, a sample image photographed at the recommended position, and information on the number of people included in subjects, in a recommendation information DB 4 as recommendation information. An imaging device 1 acquires information on the current position and the number of companions and transmits imaging conditions including the information to the server device 2. The server device 2 searches for a recommended position and a sample image suited for the imaging conditions in the recommendation information DB 4 and transmits search results to the imaging device 1. The imaging device 1 checks the recommendation information and performs appropriate imaging.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging support method for recommending an appropriate imaging location, a sample image, and the like according to a situation at the time of imaging by a user, and an apparatus for realizing the imaging assistance method.

  In recent years, with the spread of portable devices having an imaging function such as digital cameras and smartphones, the number of users who take images on the go is increasing. Many users do not decide on a subject in advance, and find a subject on the spot and pick up an image, such as something they care about on the go or something they want to remember. In such a case, if a recommended position for imaging, a sample image for imaging, or the like is recommended to the user from the portable device, it is expected that imaging with high value that the user does not notice is possible.

In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for managing information on an imaging location and information on whether or not the user has already visited, and recommending a desired area and an unvisited imaging location to the user. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 also suggests that an optimum imaging location for the current date and time is recommended by managing time-sequential information suitable for the imaging location. According to this technique, even if a place has already been visited, an imaging spot that is considered useful for the user is presented.
Further, in Patent Document 2, it is recommended to capture images with the same composition by detecting the number of subjects in the image to be captured and displaying an image with a similar composition captured in the past as a sample image. A method has been proposed.

JP 2013-210554 A JP 2011-4351 A

  The need for imaging with portable devices is diversifying. There may be a case where the user wants to take an image with a workability such as a beautiful sky or a flower alone, or a case where he / she wants to take an image to leave with a friend with a landmark in the background at a travel destination. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the user's intention of imaging, and therefore cannot always make imaging recommendations that meet the user's needs. For example, when the user is acting alone, there is a possibility that a sample image suitable for imaging with a friend against a landmark is displayed. Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, a sample image with an appropriate composition can be displayed for a subject to be imaged at present, but a sample image with a composition suitable for the place and subject to be recommended for imaging is displayed. It cannot be displayed.

  The main object of the present invention is to provide an imaging support method that supports imaging by a user by recommending appropriate imaging according to the situation at the time of imaging of the user, and an apparatus suitable for implementing this method.

  The imaging support method of the present invention associates a plurality of recommended conditions including a composition of imaging recommended at the recommended position for each recommended position representing a position where imaging of the subject is recommended and a sample image of the imaging for each recommended condition. A server device that is held in communication with a portable device carried by a user who performs imaging, and the portable device defines an imaging condition that represents a current position of the user and an intention of imaging by the user. And the server device identifies and specifies the recommended position where the distance from the current position is within a predetermined range among the received imaging conditions and one or more recommended conditions that match the imaging conditions The recommended information for imaging including the sample image associated with the recommended condition is generated, the generated recommended information is transmitted to the mobile device, and the mobile device that has received the recommended information displays the recommended information in a predetermined display. Wherein the display on.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism for recommending an appropriate imaging location and sample image according to the current imaging situation of the user.

The system block diagram of an imaging assistance system. The hardware block diagram of a server. The functional block diagram of the apparatus which comprises an imaging assistance system. FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a recommended information management table according to the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the process sequence in the case of the recommended information delivery by 1st Embodiment. The illustration figure of the recommendation information displayed as a list by 1st Embodiment. The functional block diagram of the imaging device by 2nd Embodiment. The illustration figure of the imaging information management table by 2nd Embodiment. The illustration figure of the recommendation information management table by 2nd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the process sequence in the case of the recommendation information delivery by 2nd Embodiment. The illustration figure of the imaging information management table by a 3rd embodiment. The illustration figure of a companion pattern determination table. The illustration figure of the recommendation information management table by 3rd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the process sequence at the time of determining a companion pattern with an imaging device. The figure which shows recommended information search operation | movement. Explanatory drawing of the process sequence in the case of the recommended information delivery by 4th Embodiment. The illustration figure of the recommendation information displayed by list by a 4th embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an imaging support system according to the present embodiment. This imaging support system is configured by connecting an imaging device 1 as an example of a portable device to a server device 2 via a network 3 such as the Internet. The imaging device 1 is a portable terminal having imaging means such as a digital camera or a smartphone, and is carried and operated by a user. The server device 2 is an information processing device having a server function, and has a recommended information database (database is hereinafter referred to as “DB”) 4 that holds recommended information for imaging.

The recommended imaging information is information for recommending to a user who is going to take an image. The recommended imaging location prepared by the server device 2 (hereinafter referred to as “recommended position”) and the subject at the recommended position. And a sample image taken. The recommended positions are classified by title name or the like for each landmark name (famous place) or theme (seasonal flower or the like). For each recommended position, a plurality of types of sample images are prepared in association with recommended conditions including the composition and angle of imaging recommended at the recommended position. That is, the sample image not only conveys the recommended position and subject to the user, but also prepares a plurality of types of images that convey composition and angle that are generally evaluated as good.
The recommended conditions are determined in consideration of the intention of the user who operates the imaging apparatus 1 to capture images. “Imaging intention” assumes the intention that the user wants to take an image with a workability alone or wants to take an image to leave with a person with a landmark as a background at a travel destination. Even when a person is included in the subject, it is assumed that the person is a companion or a group in addition to the user himself / herself.

  When the user desires to obtain recommended information during imaging, the user transmits imaging conditions to the server device 2 through the network 3. The imaging condition is a condition representing the current position of the user and the intention of imaging by the user. When the imaging condition is received, the server apparatus 2 generates recommended information that matches the imaging condition and transmits (recommends) the recommended information to the imaging apparatus 1. The imaging apparatus 1 that has received the recommended information displays it on a monitor screen or the like, and allows the user to confirm whether or not the user's intention is met when imaging with which composition or angle.

Hereinafter, configuration examples of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 for performing such operations will be described. FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of the imaging apparatus 1. The imaging apparatus 1 is configured by connecting a computer having a CPU 11, a RAM 12, and a ROM 13 to an input / output bus B1. A memory card 14, a communication I / F 15, an operation unit 16, an imaging unit 17, and a GPS receiving unit 18 are also connected to the input / output bus B1.
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 reads and executes the first computer program, thereby comprehensively controlling the operation of the imaging apparatus. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 is a work memory of the CPU 11. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 includes a program ROM and a data ROM. The program ROM stores a first computer program. The data ROM stores parameters necessary for executing the first computer program. The memory card 14 is a detachable recording medium for storing image data and the like. A communication I / F (Interface) 15 enables communication with the server device 2 via the network 3. The operation unit 16 is a touch panel display, and displays a monitor screen such as a sample image and an operation screen for accepting a user operation. The imaging unit 17 outputs information received by the CCD sensor as a digital video. The GPS receiver 18 receives GPS (Global Positioning system) information.

  FIG. 2B is a hardware configuration diagram of the server device 2. The server device 2 is configured by connecting a computer having a CPU 21, a RAM 22, and a ROM 23 to an input / output bus B2. An HDD 24, a communication I / F 25, and an input / output I / F 26 are also connected to the input / output bus B2. The CPU 21 comprehensively controls the operation of the server device 2 by executing the second computer program. The RAM 22 is a work memory for the CPU 21. The ROM 23 includes a program ROM and a data ROM. The program ROM stores a basic control program for preparing an operating environment for the second computer program. The data ROM stores parameters necessary for executing the second computer program. The communication I / F 24 enables communication with the imaging device 1 via the network 3. An HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 24 stores a second computer program and the like.

In the present embodiment, the CPU 11 of the imaging device 1 executes the first computer program, and the CPU 21 of the server device 2 executes the second computer program, whereby various functional modules shown in FIGS. Form.
FIG. 3A is a functional configuration diagram of the imaging apparatus 1. The imaging apparatus 1 includes a main control unit 110, a communication control unit 120, and a display control unit 130. The communication control unit 120 controls communication performed with the server device 2. The display control unit 130 controls the display mode of information on the operation unit 16 (touch panel display).
The main control unit 110 functions as a control unit that receives the recommended information from the server device 2 and displays the received recommended information on a predetermined display unit, that is, the screen of the operation unit 16. Specifically, it operates as an analysis unit 111, a condition generation unit 112, and a recommended information acquisition unit 113.

  The analysis unit 111 receives operation data from the operation input unit 101, current position from the position information acquisition unit 102, and accompanying person attribute from the accompanying attribute acquisition unit 103. The operation input unit 101 receives the operation content of the operation unit 16 by the user as operation data. The position information acquisition unit 102 acquires information such as latitude, longitude, and height received by the GPS receiving unit 18 as the current position of the imaging apparatus 1 or a user who holds the information (position acquisition unit). The position information acquisition unit 102 may display a map on the operation unit 16 to allow the user to specify the current position. The accompanying person attribute acquisition unit 103 acquires the accompanying person attribute. In the present embodiment, the companion attribute refers to the presence or absence of a companion. The presence or absence of a companion is determined by displaying a window of the number of people on the operation screen and allowing the user to select. When the analysis unit 111 recognizes that the operation data is a request for recommended information by the user, the analysis unit 111 transmits information associating the current position at the time point and the accompanying attribute to the condition generation unit 112.

  The condition generation unit 112 generates the above-described imaging conditions based on the information received from the analysis unit 111, and transmits the imaging conditions to the server device 2 through the communication control unit 120. The recommended information acquisition unit 113 acquires the recommended information received through the communication control unit 120 and transmits it to the analysis unit 111.

  The analysis unit 111 that has acquired the recommended information analyzes the recommended information and calculates the distance between the recommended position included in the recommended information and the current position of the imaging apparatus 1. Then, the distance from the current position to the recommended position is displayed on the monitor screen of the operation unit 16 together with the sample image through the display control unit 130. When the map data is held, the map is displayed on the monitor screen, and the recommended position is mapped on the map. When the recommended position is classified by landmark name or theme, the landmark name or theme is displayed. When there are a plurality of pieces of recommended information, the recommended position included in each recommended information is compared with the current position, and the distance between the two is sorted in the order of short distance and displayed on the monitor screen.

  FIG. 3B is a functional block diagram of the server device 2. The server device 2 includes a main control unit 210 and a communication control unit 220. The recommended information DB 4 described above is connected to the main control unit 210. The recommended information DB 4 functions as a holding unit that holds, in association with each other, a plurality of recommended conditions including a composition of imaging recommended at the recommended position and a sample image of the imaging for each recommended condition. The recommended conditions are managed by a recommended information management table described later. The communication control unit 220 performs control for performing communication with the imaging apparatus 1.

  The main control unit 210 operates as a recommended information generation unit 211, a condition input unit 212, an analysis unit 213, a search unit 214, and an output unit 215. The recommended information generation unit 211 generates sample images of a plurality of compositions created according to the presence or absence of a companion for each recommended position, and stores the sample images in the recommended information DB 4. The sample image for each recommended position is prepared in advance by the side that operates the server device 2, but may be generated based on information provided by the user. That is, data of recommended positions from the user and image data captured at the recommended positions may be collected, and the collected data may be automatically edited and generated. When holding a sample image or the like in the recommended information DB 4, a classification name (title), a sample image, a recommended position, and the like are associated with each other, and any one or more of these are stored in the recommended information management table as a recommended condition. The title includes seasonal flowers and landmarks.

  The condition input unit 212 inputs an imaging condition received through the communication control unit 220. The imaging conditions are as described above. The analysis unit 213 analyzes the input imaging conditions so that it can be compared with the recommended conditions recorded in the recommended information management table. The search unit 214 identifies a recommended position where the distance from the current position is within a predetermined range among the input imaging conditions and one or more recommended conditions that match the intent of imaging, and is associated with the identified recommended conditions A sample image is retrieved from the recommended information DB 4. The output unit 215 generates recommended information in which the searched sample image is associated with the recommended position, and outputs the generated recommended information to the imaging apparatus 1.

  An example of the recommended information management table is shown in FIG. The recommended information management table is an index table of information held in the recommended information DB 4. In this example, the recommended information management table is a set of records in which a title, a sample image of imaging, a position (recommended position), and the presence or absence of a companion are associated. A record with “None” as the “accompaniment” indicates that, for example, the file name of the sample image at a position where the user can image a cosmos flower alone is associated. A record with “accompanied” “present” indicates that a file name of a sample image having a composition suitable for taking a commemorative photo of a person with Tokyo Tower as a background is associated. The same applies to other records.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, processing procedures of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 performed when the recommended information is delivered will be described. In the imaging apparatus 1, when it is detected that the user has requested recommendation information through the operation input unit 101, the position information acquisition unit 102 acquires the latitude and longitude information that are the current position (S1). Further, the accompanying person attribute acquisition unit 103 acquires the accompanying person attribute (S2). Here, it is assumed that the presence / absence of the accompanying person is confirmed by the user by displaying a dialog. The imaging device 1 generates imaging conditions based on the acquired current position and accompanying person attributes, and transmits the imaging conditions to the server device 2 (S3).

  The server device 2 operates the main control unit 210 after setting the operation to the recommended imaging mode. When receiving the imaging condition (S6), the main control unit 210 acquires one head record from the recommended information management table (S7). Then, it is determined whether or not the accompanying attribute included in the imaging condition matches the accompanying attribute in the record (S8). In this example, it is determined whether the accompanying person is “present” or “not present”. If the companion attributes match (S8: Y), the distance between the recommended position and the current position of the imaging device 1 is calculated, and it is determined whether the distance is within a certain distance (S9). If within a certain distance (S9: Y), the main control unit 210 generates recommended information including the record, adds it to the recommended information list, and holds it (S10). If the companion attribute does not match in S8 (S8: N), or if it is not within a certain distance in S9 (S9: N), the process of S10 is not performed. This is because the record cannot be recommended to the user. Thereafter, the main control unit 210 determines whether or not all records in the recommended information management table have been processed (S11). If unprocessed (S11: N), the next record is acquired (S12), and the processes of S8 to S12 are repeated. When it is determined that all records have been processed (S11: Y), the main control unit 210 controls the communication control unit 220 to transmit a recommended information list to the imaging device 1 (S13).

  The imaging device 1 receives the recommended information list from the server device 2 (S4). The main control unit 110 analyzes the recommended information list and sorts the recommended information in the order from the current position. Then, the sorted recommended information is displayed in a list on the monitor screen through the display control unit 130 (S5). In this way, an example process is complete | finished.

  FIG. 6 is a screen example displaying a list of recommended information displayed on the monitor screen of the imaging apparatus 1. The screen illustrated in FIG. 6A is a screen when no accompanying person is present. A sample image of a composition that does not include a person is displayed along with the distance from the current position. On the other hand, the screen shown in FIG. 6B is a screen when a companion is present. A sample image including a person is displayed together with the distance from the current position. When the recommended information that the user is interested in is selected, the sample image may be enlarged and displayed, or a map around the recommended position may be displayed.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to display a sample image on the monitor screen of the imaging apparatus 1 when photographing at different recommended positions depending on the presence or absence of a companion. Thereby, the imaging reflecting the user's intention of imaging can be recommended according to the current imaging situation of the user.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the number of accompanying persons included in a subject is detected from an image captured by the imaging apparatus 1 before requesting recommended information, and the detected number of persons is set as an accompanying attribute. The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the operation of the functional blocks and the contents of the records in the various tables are partially different. The difference is that the recommended information DB 4 holds sample images of a plurality of compositions created according to the number of persons included in the subject.

  FIG. 7 is a functional configuration diagram of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 3A, the imaging information management unit 104 is added. The imaging information management unit 104 performs feature analysis of an image captured within a predetermined time before requesting recommended information, and detects the number of persons appearing in the image. For the feature analysis, for example, a face recognition function using a face dictionary can be used. That is, a person who matches the face dictionary is specified from the image, and the number of persons is recorded as a detection result in the imaging information management table. The facial features of a specific acquaintance may be registered in advance in the face dictionary, and only that acquaintance may be detected. In the imaging information management table, for each image used for feature analysis, a record in which the imaging date and time and the detected number of people detected from the image are associated is recorded. A record example of this imaging information management table is shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the companion attribute includes not only the presence / absence of a companion but also the number of companions reflected in the subject. As a result, the recommended information management table (FIG. 4) described in the first embodiment is changed to hold not only the presence of accompanying persons but also the optimum number of people as recommended positions and sample images. An example of the changed recommended information management table is shown in FIG. In each record in FIG. 9, even if the same landmark is used, sample images having different compositions and angles are associated with the number of accompanying persons when the accompanying landmark is imaged together with the accompanying person. The sample image in the case of no accompanying person is the same as that used in the first embodiment. When taking a group photo with a large number of people such as alumni associations or hobby circles, the background image looks different depending on the arrangement pattern of people than when taking several accompanying people. Such an appearance cannot be recognized unless the image is actually taken, but according to the present embodiment, it can be confirmed in advance.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of processing procedures of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 according to the second embodiment. The basic flow is such that S21 and S22 are added in the processing procedure of FIG. Therefore, the step numbers shown in FIG. 5 are used as they are.
After acquiring the current position (S1), the main control unit 110 of the imaging apparatus 1 refers to the imaging information management table (FIG. 8), and determines the person reflected in the subject from the captured image having the same imaging date and time as the current date. Detect the number and record it. Then, the number of detected persons is read from these records, and after adding all the detected numbers of all the records, the average number of persons reflected in the subject is determined by dividing by the number of records (S21).
It is assumed that the user (and accompanying person) have gone out twice on the same day. In this case, the calculation method may be selected so that the average number of people is determined by acquiring records within a certain time from the current time point, for example, within 3 hours, instead of the same date.
Thereafter, the main control unit 110 includes the current position and the average number of accompanying persons in the imaging condition, and transmits the imaging condition to the server apparatus 2 (S3).

  In the server device 2, when the imaging condition is received (S6), the main control unit 210 acquires one head record from the recommended information management table (FIG. 9) (S7). Then, it is determined whether the number of accompanying persons determined from the imaging conditions is within the range of the number of accompanying persons included in the acquired record (S22). If it is within the range (S22: Y), the main control unit 210 continues to calculate the distance between the position (recommended position) included in the record and the current position found from the imaging conditions, and whether it is within a certain distance. Is determined (S9). If it is within a certain distance (S9: Y), recommended information including the record is generated, added to the recommended information list, and held (S10). When it is outside the range of the number of people in S22 (S22: N) or not within a certain distance from the current position (S9: N), the process of S10 is not performed. Thereafter, the main control unit 210 determines whether or not all records in the recommended information management table (FIG. 9) have been processed (S11). If it is unprocessed (S11: N), the next record is acquired (S12), and the processes of S8 to S12 are repeated. When it is determined that all the records have been processed (S11: Y), the main control unit 210 transmits a recommended information list to the imaging device 1 (S13). The processing of the imaging apparatus 1 that has received the recommended information list is the same as in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to recommend a sample image showing an appropriate recommended position according to the number of accompanying persons and a composition recommended to be imaged at that position. For example, if you are acting with a relatively small number of people, such as a lover or a friend, you can recommend an image that shows a large upper body against the background of a landmark. For large groups such as alumni associations and hobby circles, group photos using the background can be recommended.
In the second embodiment, the average value of the number of persons detected from a plurality of images is used as the number of accompanying persons. However, the median value may be used, or the most detected number of persons may be used.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, an example will be described in which the companion attribute includes not only the presence / absence of a companion and the number of people reflected in the subject but also the relationship between the companion and the user that may appear in the subject. The human relationship here is determined by whether the user and the accompanying person are friends or a parent and child. The hardware configuration and the functional configuration of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 are the same as those in the second embodiment, but the operation of the functional blocks and the contents of the records in the various tables are partially different. Further, the recommendation information DB 4 is different in that sample images having a plurality of compositions created according to the human relations of the accompanying person included in the subject are stored.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the contents of an imaging information management table used in the third embodiment. In comparison with the imaging information management table (FIG. 8) of the second embodiment, a “relation” representing a human relationship is added to each record. The human relation information is specified through the operation screen of the operation unit 16 of the imaging apparatus 1. Or you may make it specify by using together the feature information of the person previously registered into the face dictionary, and the face recognition function mentioned above.

  In the present embodiment, the companion attribute acquisition unit 103 or the analysis unit 111 determines a companion pattern based on the record of the imaging information management table illustrated in FIG. A companion pattern is a combination pattern of the number of detected persons, such as whether there are only users, whether a small number of persons accompany the user, or whether there are users among many accompanying persons. Therefore, in this embodiment, a companion pattern determination table is used. FIG. 12 shows an example of the contents of a companion pattern determination table. The companion pattern determination table includes “conditions” for discriminating companion patterns (multiple, small number of people, family, children, photographers only). “Plural” means “small number” or more, that is, a large number of four or more. The “condition” is determined by the average number of companion patterns to be determined and the maximum number of relationships. When the number of friends of four or more is the largest, it is determined that “multiple”. If the number of family members or children is one or more, it is determined as “family, children”.

  The server device 2 includes a recommended information management table illustrated in FIG. 13 instead of the recommended information management table (FIGS. 4 and 9) described above. For example, like the record at the bottom, when taking a picture of a person with the background of Daiba Park, the recommended position is also a sample image (composition, angle, etc.) for “small group” and “family, children” ) Is also different.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure for determining a companion pattern. In this example, the analysis unit 111 of the imaging device 1 performs this. The analysis unit 111 acquires all records in which the number of detected persons reflected in the subject is recorded from the captured image having the same imaging date as the current date from the imaging information management table in FIG. 11 (S31). Subsequently, the average number of people is calculated by adding the detected number of people in all records (S32). Then, accompanying person pattern analysis is performed. For example, the human relationship recorded most in the acquired record is acquired (S33). Subsequently, one leading companion pattern is acquired from the companion pattern determination table of FIG. 12 (S34). Then, it is determined whether or not the “average number of people”, which is one of the “conditions” in the accompanying person pattern determination table, matches the average number of people calculated from the imaging information management table of FIG. 11 (S35). If they match (S35: Y), it is determined whether another “most relationship” of “condition” matches the human relationship most frequently included in the imaging information management table (S36). If the average number of people or the “most frequent relationship” does not match (S35: N or S36: N), the analysis unit 111 acquires one next companion pattern from the companion pattern determination table (S37). When the accompanying pattern matches the average number of people and the “most attribute” (S36: Y), the analysis unit 111 determines the accompanying pattern to be used for acquiring recommended information (S38). ). In this way, a series of processing is completed.
In the third embodiment, it is assumed that the “condition” in the companion pattern determination table always matches the one of the companion patterns. If none of the conditions match and the next companion pattern cannot be acquired in S37, a default companion pattern may be used.

Next, with reference to FIG. 15, processing procedures of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 performed when the recommended information is transferred in the third embodiment will be described. The basic flow is obtained by adding S41 and S42 to the processing procedure of FIG. Therefore, the step numbers shown in FIG. 5 are used as they are.
After acquiring the current position (S1), the main control unit 110 of the imaging device 1 acquires the accompanying person pattern (S41). Thereafter, the imaging conditions including information on the current position and accompanying person pattern are transmitted to the server device 2 (S3).

  When the server apparatus 2 receives the imaging condition (S6), the main control unit 210 acquires one head record from the recommended information management table (S7). Then, it is determined whether or not the accompanying pattern included in the imaging condition matches the accompanying pattern included in the acquired record (S42). If they match (S42: Y), the distance between the position included in the recommended condition and the current position included in the imaging condition is calculated, and it is determined whether the distance is within a certain distance (S9). If it is within a certain distance (S9: Y), the record is added to the recommended information list and held (S10). If it is determined in S42 that they do not match (S42: N), or if they are not within a certain distance from the current position (S9: N), the process of S10 is not performed. It is determined whether all records in the recommended information management table have been processed (S11). If unprocessed (S11: N), the next record is acquired (S12), and the processes of S8 to S12 are repeated. When all the recommended information has been processed (S11: Y), the main control unit 210 transmits a recommended information list to the imaging device 1 (S13). The processing of the imaging apparatus 1 that has received the recommended information list is the same as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the number of accompanying persons, the human relationship with the user is included in the accompanying attribute so that optimum recommended information can be searched. Therefore, it is possible to recommend a recommended position and a sample image according to the current human relationship of the accompanying person. For example, when a child is taken to play, imaging of a child playing with a playground equipment at an appropriate place can be recommended.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, the operation is different when the user has not taken an image yet and the number of accompanying persons cannot be detected by face image detection or the like. The hardware configuration and the functional configuration of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 are the same as those in the second embodiment, but the operation contents of the functional blocks and the contents of the records of the various tables are partially different.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of processing procedures of the imaging device 1 and the server device 2 performed when the recommended information is transferred in the fourth embodiment. In comparison with FIG. 10 according to the second embodiment, S21 is replaced with S51, S52 is inserted in the previous step of S22, and S5 on the imaging device 1 side is replaced with S53 to S56. Other step numbers and processing contents are the same as those in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 16, the main control unit 110 of the imaging device 1 acquires the current position of the user (S1). After that, the number of persons appearing on the subject is detected from the captured image having the same imaging date and time as the current date from the imaging information management table in FIG. 11 to obtain a record, and the average number of persons is calculated by adding all detected persons. (S51). Subsequently, the current position and the average number of accompanying persons are included in the imaging conditions and transmitted to the server apparatus 2 (S3). If the same imaging date record cannot be acquired from the imaging information management table in S51, for example, the image has not been captured on that day, the average number of people is not calculated. In this case, in S3, the imaging condition not including the average number of persons is transmitted to the server apparatus 2. It should be noted that the imaging condition not including the average number of persons may be transmitted to the server apparatus 2 even when there are not the number of records necessary for calculating the number of persons, such as when the number of captured image records is a certain number or less. .

  When the server device 2 receives the imaging condition (S6), the main control unit 210 acquires one head record from the recommended information management table of FIG. 12 (S7). Then, it is determined whether or not the average number of accompanying persons is included in the imaging conditions (S52). If not included (S52: N), the process proceeds to S9. When the average number of persons is included (S52: Y), the main control unit 210 determines whether or not the average number of persons included in the imaging condition is within the range of the number of accompanying persons included in the recommended condition (S22). If within the range (S22: Y), the distance between the position included in the recommended condition (recommended position) and the current position included in the imaging condition is calculated, and it is determined whether the distance is within a certain distance (S9). ). If it is within a certain distance (S9: Y), the record is added to the recommended information list and held (S10). If it is not within the range in S22 (S22: N) or not within a certain distance in S9 (S9: N), the main control unit 210 does not perform the process of S10. The main control unit 210 determines whether all records have been processed (S11). When there is an unprocessed record (S11: N), the next record is acquired (S12), and S52 to S12 are repeated. When it is determined that all the records have been processed (S11: Y), the main control unit 210 transmits a recommended information list to the imaging device 1 (S13).

  When the imaging apparatus 1 receives the recommended information list (S4), the main control unit 110 determines whether the recommended information list is a result of searching for recommended information using the average number of accompanying persons (S53). ). If it is determined that the average number of people is being used (S53: Y), the main control unit 110 sorts the recommended information in order from the current position and displays the list (S54). When the average number of people is not used (S53: N), the main control unit 210 temporarily stores the received recommended information list generated according to the current position. Then, a plurality of recommended information with different patterns of the number of people shown in the sample image are displayed in a list so that the number of people pattern is not biased, that is, uniform (S55). For example, a list is displayed such as recommended information when the companion pattern shown in the image is 0, recommended information when there are a small number of people, and recommended information when there are many people. When the user selects the recommended information of any one pattern in the list display, the main control unit 210 stores the recommended information including the number of people of the selected pattern and the selection date and time (S56). After this selection date and time, when the user requests the recommended information again and receives the recommended information list from the server device 2, the main control unit 210 determines whether or not the selection date and time saved in S56 is the same as the current date. In the same case, the number of persons identified from the recommended information stored in S56 is set as the number of accompanying persons (S51).

  FIG. 17 shows an example of recommended information displayed on the monitor screen of the imaging apparatus 1 in the above procedure. In the example shown in the figure, a sample image of Tokyo Tower suitable for imaging with only the user (0 companion) first, a sample image when there are a small number of companions appearing in the background, and an accompaniment appearing in the background A sample image in the case of a large number of persons is displayed. Also, the distance from the current position to the recommended position is shown along with each sample image.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when the number of accompanying persons cannot be detected, the number pattern selected by the user from among a plurality of pieces of recommended information specified in the range of imaging conditions that are known for the current imaging situation is used. Determine the number of companions. Thereafter, when the server device 2 requests recommended information on the same day, the server device 2 includes the determined number of people in the imaging conditions. Therefore, even when the imaging apparatus 1 has not performed imaging before requesting the recommended information, it is possible to make an appropriate imaging recommendation according to the current imaging situation.
The function on the imaging apparatus 1 side also has the effect that the function of automatically detecting the number of accompanying persons, the average number of persons, etc. becomes unnecessary.

<Other embodiments>
Although the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples. For example, the present invention can be implemented even if the server device 2 implements functional blocks excluding matters that can only be implemented in the imaging device 1 among the functions that operate in the imaging device 1.
In each embodiment, the imaging apparatus 1 including the imaging unit has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be implemented as long as it is a portable apparatus that is carried by a user who performs imaging. May not be provided with an imaging means. For example, a tablet terminal that does not include an imaging unit but can communicate with the server device 2 can be implemented as a portable device.

  The object of the present invention can also be achieved by the following. That is, a recording medium (or storage medium) that records a program code (first computer program / second computer program) of software that implements the functional blocks of the above-described embodiments is used as an information processing apparatus that is responsible for each role. Supply. Such a storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium. Then, the computer (CPU) of these information processing apparatuses reads and executes the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of each embodiment in the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention. Note that one or more functions shown in each embodiment can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes the function.

Claims (17)

A communication means for communicating with an imaging device operated by a user who performs imaging;
Holding means for holding a plurality of recommended conditions including a composition of imaging recommended at the recommended position for each recommended position where imaging of the subject is recommended and a sample image of the imaging for each recommended condition in association with each other;
An imaging condition representing the current position of the user received from the imaging device and an intention of imaging by the user is input, and the recommended position where a distance from the current position is within a predetermined range among the input imaging conditions A search unit that identifies one or more recommended conditions that match the intent of the imaging, and searches for the sample image associated with the identified recommended condition from the holding unit;
An output unit that generates recommended information for imaging including the retrieved sample image, and outputs the generated recommended information to the imaging device;
A server device comprising: The imaging condition includes presence or absence of the user accompanying the user at the time of imaging,
The holding means holds sample images of a plurality of compositions created according to the presence or absence of the accompanying person;
The server device according to claim 1. The imaging condition includes the number of accompanying persons included in the subject,
The holding means holds sample images of a plurality of compositions created according to the number of persons;
The server device according to claim 2. The imaging condition includes a human relationship with the user of the accompanying person when the accompanying person exists,
The holding means holds sample images of a plurality of compositions created according to the human relationship;
The server device according to claim 2 or 3. The output means generates the recommended information by associating the recommended position with the sample image;
The server apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A portable device carried by a user who performs imaging,
Communication between a plurality of recommended conditions including a composition of imaging recommended at the recommended position and a sample image of the imaging for each recommended condition in association with each recommended position recommended for imaging the subject Communication means to perform;
Position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the user;
The imaging condition indicating the current position and the intention of imaging by the user is generated, the generated imaging condition is transmitted to the server device, and the distance from the server device to the current position is within a predetermined range. Control means for receiving recommended information of imaging including one or more sample images that match the intention of imaging at a recommended position, and displaying the received recommended information on a predetermined display unit;
A portable device comprising: The recommended information includes the recommended position,
The control means displays the distance from the current position to the recommended position on the display unit together with the sample image.
The portable device according to claim 6. When there are a plurality of pieces of recommended information received from the server device, the control means compares the recommended position included in each recommended information with the current position, sorts the distances in ascending order, and displays them on the display unit. Let
The portable device according to claim 7. The control means displays, together with the sample image, a distance from the current position to a recommended position where the sample image is captured.
The portable device according to claim 8. After obtaining the current position, the control means detects the number of persons reflected in the subject from the captured images having the same imaging date and time as the current date, acquires the recorded records, and detects the records read from these records. An average number of all records is determined based on the number of persons, the imaging condition including the determined average number of persons is transmitted to the server device, and the recommendation information generated according to the average number of persons is received and received. Display the recommended information on the display unit,
The portable device according to any one of claims 6 to 9. The control means acquires the current position, transmits the imaging condition including the current position to the server device, and generates a pattern of the number of persons appearing in the received sample image according to the current position, respectively. When recommended information including the number of patterns selected by the user is selected after a plurality of different pieces of recommended information are displayed in a list on the display unit so that the pattern of the number of people is not biased, the number of people and the selected date and time And when generating the imaging condition after the selected date and time, the stored number of people is included in the imaging condition and transmitted to the server device.
The portable device according to any one of claims 6 to 10. After obtaining the current position, the control means detects the number of persons reflected in the subject from the captured images having the same imaging date and time as the current date, acquires the recorded records, and detects the records read from these records. A combination pattern of the number of persons is determined, the imaging condition including the determined combination pattern is transmitted to the server device, the recommendation information generated according to the combination pattern is received, and the received recommendation information is Display on the display,
The portable device according to any one of claims 6 to 11. The combination pattern is determined by a human relationship indicating whether the user and the accompanying person are friends or a parent and child.
The portable device according to claim 12. Imaging means for imaging a subject;
Image holding means for holding an image taken by the imaging means in association with the shooting date;
Analyzing means for analyzing the number of people reflected in the captured image,
The control means sets the number of persons analyzed by the analysis means as the companion attribute,
The portable device according to any one of claims 6 to 13. A server device that associates and holds a plurality of recommended conditions including a composition of imaging recommended at the recommended position and a sample image of the imaging for each recommended condition for each recommended position representing a position where imaging of the subject is recommended, and imaging Connected to a mobile device carried by a user who
The portable device transmits an imaging condition indicating the current position of the user and an intention of imaging by the user to the server device,
The server device identifies the recommended position where the distance from the current position is within a predetermined range among the received imaging conditions, and one or more recommended conditions that match the imaging conditions, and associates them with the identified recommended conditions Generating the recommended information for imaging including the sample image, and transmitting the generated recommended information to the portable device;
The portable device that has received the recommended information displays the recommended information on a predetermined display unit.
Imaging support method.   A computer program for causing a computer to operate as the server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A computer program for operating a computer as the portable device according to any one of claims 6 to 14.