JP3291082B2 - Geographic information use method and image recording system using geographic information - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a geographic information utilizing method utilizing geographic information and an image recording system utilizing geographic information utilizing a geographic information for a photographing apparatus for photographing an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an optical camera, information such as a photographing date and time and an exposure condition at the time of photographing can be automatically recorded on a negative film with the development of electronics. I have. In particular, the shooting date and time are effectively used when customers organize photos, and the exposure conditions are effectively used in labs etc. to create additional prints under the same conditions as the first print when there is an order for additional printing etc. Is done.

Here, for example, the date and time of a photograph or the like taken at a travel destination can be easily recorded, but the shooting location of the travel destination cannot be easily recorded like the shooting date and time.

[0004] Therefore, unless the customer writes notes on the back of the photographic prints or writes them in an album or the like containing the photographic prints, the user may feel inconvenience when trying to organize the photographic prints for a while.

On the other hand, in a photographing apparatus provided with a recording function such as a VTR camera, it is possible to record a location by voice at the time of photographing, and to photograph a continuous scene unlike the optical camera. In many cases, predicting and confirming the shooting location from the surrounding landscape etc.
It is easier than photographic prints taken with an optical camera.
However, even with such a VTR camera, it is often difficult to specify the shooting location.

That is, regardless of whether the camera is an optical camera or a VTR camera, the photographing location cannot be automatically recorded in the photographing device, even though the photographing location is important information for the customer.

In view of the above facts, the present invention provides a geographic information utilizing method and a geographic information method capable of automatically recording a photographing location of a photographed image in recording the image in a photographing device in correspondence with the image. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image recording system using the image recording method.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising:
GPS (Global Positioning)
Geographic information transmitted by the
A GPS receiver for receiving the geographic information;
Acquires place name information of the shooting location recognized based on the geographic information.
To transmit the place name information.
Line machine and the ground transmitted from the first small-power small-sized radio.
A second low power small wireless device for receiving name information;
To capture place name information received from a small,
And an imaging device that records on a recording medium in accordance with the image
It is characterized by being.

[0009] The invention according to claim 2 is the first small power small size.
Receives the place name information transmitted from the wireless device, and
Update the low power small wireless repeater that sends the
The geographic information according to claim 1 is used.
It is characterized by using.

[0010] The invention of claim 3 provides the above-mentioned claim 1 or claim
According to the image recording system described in Item 2,
The recorded place name information is stored in a photo print created from the image.
At the position corresponding to the image in the file containing the
It is characterized by showing.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an image is taken and recorded.
Installed at the place where the image was taken when recording this image on the medium
Sequentially transmitted by GPS by a designated GPS receiver
Receiving the geographical information that has been
Receiving the geographic information from the
Captures the location name information of the shooting location
And the second low-power small radio transmits the first low-power small radio.
Receiving place name information transmitted from a small radio,
Converts the place name information received from the second low power small radio
The image is recorded on a recording medium corresponding to the image to be photographed.

[0012] GPS (Global Positioning System)
As is well known, multiple satellites (typically four satellites)
Orbit information, time, etc. transmitted from the star)
Time until the radio wave arrives, and then to each satellite
The current position of a moving object such as a vehicle by calculating the distance
You can ask. In the shadows of buildings, in tunnels, etc.
Radio waves cannot be received, but errors accumulate like dead reckoning.
Without being fixed, as in the present invention,
Location information)
(Geographic information) can be obtained.

[0013] The photographing is completed in a very short time (
Optical camera), so in a few seconds
Geographic information needs to be provided repeatedly. others
For geographical information, short information of several to several tens of bytes is preferable.
It is preferable to use a unified form. this
In this respect, the GPS is optimal.

Therefore, when an image is photographed by a photographing device (optical camera, VTR camera, etc.), GP
The S receiver receives geographic information identifying the location of the image and
To receive geographic information transmitted sequentially by GPS.
And the first low power small radio receives this geographic information.
Name information of the shooting location recognized based on the geographic information
And transmits it to the second low-power small radio. Soshi
To capture the place name information received from the second low power small radio.
A recording medium (shape) corresponding to the image captured by the shadow device
(True film, magnetic tape, etc.).

For example, in the case of a photographic film, an image frame
If you print on the base of the periphery of the
Identifying the shooting location by collating with true film
It is possible to use
If you can print inside, you can see the print
Therefore, it is possible to specify the shooting location.

On the other hand, with a magnetic tape, superimposed recording may be performed at the corner of the screen such as date (or time) according to the photographer's selection, or geographic information may be recorded every time the main switch is turned on. If the recording is performed, the photographing is started after the geographic information is recorded in a small area immediately after the start of the photographing, and the photographing place can be recognized without recording the geographic information on the screen. Note that, depending on the model of the VTR camera, display or non-display of the date (or time) on the screen can be selected during playback (for example, TR-1000 manufactured by Sony Corporation). If applied to information, geographic information can be displayed on the screen being reproduced as necessary.

When obtaining geographic information by GPS, a satellite
Received by a GPS receiver that receives radio waves from
Place name information based on this geographic information by a small power radio
Recognize. Then, the place name information is transmitted to the photographing device.

That is, it is possible to directly attach the GPS receiver to the photographing device, but it is difficult to realize at present at this time because the antenna is special and the photographing device becomes large. Also, the need to recognize the shooting location,
Most of them are sightseeing spots and event venues, and there is not much need to equip each imaging device with a GPS receiver.

Therefore, a GPS receiver is permanently (or temporarily) installed at a sightseeing spot or an event site, and transmission / reception for transmitting geographic information over a short distance between the GPS receiver and the photographing device is interposed. That is, the transmitter (first ) is provided on the GPS receiver side .
Attach a low-power small wireless device) and a receiver (No.
2) , the place name information can be obtained by the receiver when taking a picture at a sightseeing spot or an event venue.

In addition, a low power small radio is suitable as a transceiver.
The use improves the convenience. In other words, the radio frequency of this radio is generally assigned by the government agency. In Japan, there is a frequency band that can be used without a license in the current 400 MHz band under the transmission power limit of 10 mW or less.

Further, from the first low-power small radio device,
Receives the transmitted place name information and captures the place name information
Further including a low power small radio repeater for transmitting to the shadowing device
Can be.

If the above-mentioned frequency band is used, radio waves can be transmitted and received in the range of several hundred meters to several kilometers, so that it can be used as a relay transmitter / receiver at a suitable interval at a tourist spot or an event site.
By installing the relay unit in the line, it is possible to transmit to the imaging device.

When the place name information obtained by the above-described image recording system using geographic information is converted into a photographic print from a recording medium, the place name information is displayed at a position corresponding to the image in a file containing the photographic print. By doing so, even if a long time elapses, not only the photographer but also anyone can recognize the photographing place, and the arrangement of the photographic prints is simplified.

[0024]

FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image recording system according to this embodiment.

A GPS (global positioning system) receiver 14 is installed in an event hall or the like where persons having the optical camera 10 and the VTR camera 12 are concentrated.

The GPS receiver 14 is mounted on a vehicle or the like so as to be movable to a place temporarily provided only during a certain period, such as an event venue. It should be noted that, if the location, such as a resort, may be permanent.

The GPS receiver 14 can receive radio waves from a plurality of satellites (generally four satellites) orbiting the earth and constantly receive geographical information such as orbital information and time. G
The PS receiver 14 obtains the time until the radio wave arrives, and then calculates the distance to each satellite, thereby obtaining the current position. The transmission is always performed in a short period of time and is performed in a unified form.

The geographic information received by the GPS receiver 14 is converted into, for example, place name information.
4 is a relay station 1 installed in every part of the event venue by a main transmitter (not shown) installed every 100 m.
6 is transmitted.

The relay station 16 includes a receiver 18 and a transmitter 20, and can receive radio waves transmitted from the main transmitter of the GPS receiver 14. Note that this GPS
The receiver 14 and the relay station 16 may be connected by wire.

On the other hand, the transmitter 20 of the relay station is a low-power radio transmitter.
The transmission is performed at 0 mW. In correspondence with the low-power wireless transmitter 20, the optical camera 10 and the VTR camera 12 have a low-power wireless receiver 22 built therein.
Since the receiver 22 applied to the low-power radio is small and inexpensive, the external dimensions do not become extremely large even when mounted on the optical camera 10 or the VTR camera 12.

Since the relay station 16 is set in units of 100 m at the event venue, the optical camera 10 and the VTR camera 12 equipped with the receiver 22 can receive the signal from the relay station 16 at any location in the event venue. Radio waves can be received.

As shown in FIG. 2, a negative film 26 accommodated in a patrone 24 is loaded into the optical camera 10, and when a shutter button 28 is operated, a shutter 32 is opened by a control unit 30. Then, the rectangular hole 36 provided in the shutter base 34 is opened, and the subject is exposed to the negative film 26 via the lens 38. Here, the receiver 22 is connected to the control unit 30, and the shutter button 28
The geographic information (place name information) received by the receiver 22 is output to the display device 40 in conjunction with the operation of (1).

The display device 40 includes the shutter base 3
The four rectangular holes 36 are attached corresponding to the burn-in windows 42 provided on the peripheral edge. Display device 40 is configured de LED and 7 segment liquid crystal shutter (both not shown), in response to a signal from the control unit 30, the land of the shooting location
The name, latitude, and longitude are displayed, and can be printed on the periphery of the image frame 26A of the negative film 26. For example, as shown in FIG.
40 ° 10 ”indicates that the latitude is 35 ° 2
0 ', 140 ° 10' east longitude.

The VTR camera 12 is a magnetic tape wound on a reel in a cassette, and magnetically records place name information converted from geographic information received by the receiver 22. Has become. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, this magnetic tape is loaded on the deck 44 and displayed on the monitor 46 so that the geographical information is displayed together with the image.
(Place name information) can be displayed. This record
The VTR camera 12 may overlap the screen.
Each time the main switch is turned on, a recording state may be recorded for several seconds on the magnetic tape in a short area before the start of shooting.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. GP
At the event venue where the S receiver 14 and the relay station 16 are installed, the GPS receiver 14 constantly receives radio waves from satellites and transmits geographical information (place name information) to the relay station 16. In 16, the low power transmitter 20 constantly transmits geographic information (place name information) .

An optical camera 10 or a VTR camera 12 equipped with a receiver 22 is brought to the event site. For example, when taking a picture of a landscape or an exhibit with the optical camera 10, the shutter button 28 is operated.

In conjunction with the operation of the shutter button 28, for example, the receiver 22 in the optical camera 10 receives the geographic information from the relay station 16, and converts the geographical information received by the display device 40 into place name information. The signal is output so that is displayed.

For this reason, the shutter 32 is opened and the image (landscape or exhibit) is exposed on the negative film 26, and at the same time, the geographical information (place name information) is added to the base of the periphery of the image frame 26A (latent image). Is burned.

Here, when the photographed negative film 26 is requested to be printed at a lab shop or the like, the negative film 26 is developed in a form in which geographical information (location name information) is displayed for each image frame.

When the customer arranges the photo prints, by comparing the photo prints with the negative film 26, geographic information (place name information) can be easily obtained, and the photographing place can be recognized. .

That is, immediately after the photographing or for a short time, the photographing place is remembered, but after a long time,
Sometimes I couldn't figure out where to shoot. However, in the present embodiment, the shooting location can be easily recognized by collation with the negative film 26, so that the organization is easy.

In this embodiment, the geographical information (place name information) is imprinted outside the image frame 26A of the negative film 26. However, this geographical information (place name information) is stored in the image frame by the customer's selection. If the image is printed, the photographing location can be grasped only by looking at the photo print.

On the other hand, since the VTR camera 12 uses a magnetic tape, the geographic information received by the receiver 22 built in the VTR camera 12 is magnetically recorded.
In general, the shooting date, time, and the like are displayed so as to be overlapped (superimposed) on the shooting screen. Even in this geographic information, the geographic information may be overlapped on the shooting screen by the photographer's selection. . Further, the shooting location may be recorded at the break of the image. In this case, V
If the main switch of the TR camera 12 is turned on for a few seconds and the geographic information is magnetically recorded during this time, the geographic information is displayed first like a title screen,
After that, the scenery of the shooting location is displayed, so that the shooting location can be easily grasped.

By applying the place name information as the geographic information as in the present embodiment, for example, the GPS receiver 14 can be used.
Geographic information sent from the main transmitter of a location (for example,
If the display device 40 in the optical camera 10 is a liquid crystal shutter of a dot pattern, a map or the like is used as in the case of applying other geographic information such as orbital information and latitude / longitude information. Without having to search for place names using
The shooting location can be immediately recognized. In addition to the place name information, a zip code is also applicable.

In this embodiment, the location is specified by the radio wave from the satellite by the GPS receiver 14. However, in the permanent area, the same information as that of the GPS may be transmitted independently. .

In the present embodiment, the display of the geographic information by the optical camera 10 is performed by viewing the display contents on the negative film 26 or the display contents on the photographic print screen. 26 and the photo print are often stored in different places, and when directly displayed on the photo print, a part of the screen may be difficult to see.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the photographic prints 50 are returned to the customer in the state of being stored in the file 52, and the positions corresponding to the photographic prints of the transparent bag body 52A in which the photographic prints 50 are individually stored. If information such as the exposure condition, frame number, and date of photographing at the time of photographing is printed together with the geographical information (location name information) at (position A or position B in FIG. 3), a part of the photographic print 50 is printed by the information. Eliminates inconspicuous defects. In addition, photo print 5
Not limited to 0, the negative film may be stored in a file, and returned to the customer in a state where geographical information (place name information) or the like is printed at a position corresponding to the negative film in the stored transparent bag.

By creating the return file 52 at the time of producing a print as described below, the workability can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

In the case of a file in the form of a clear pocket, printing is performed on a clear film at a position adjacent to the print without overlapping the print.

A print is positioned on a mount, and a transparent sheet is formed in a pocket shape or laminated so as to be printed thereon, and printed on the mount close to the print.

As described above, in order to print on the file 52, a bar code or the like may be optically burned as in the related art, or a strip-shaped magnetic material may be applied to a negative film. The information may be recorded as magnetic information at the time of photographing, and may be read by a lab or the like.

[0052]

As described above, the method for using geographic information and the image recording system using geographic information according to the present invention,
This has an excellent effect that, when an image is recorded on a photographing device, the photographing place of the photographed image can be automatically recorded in correspondence with the image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image recording system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inside of the optical camera.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a file accommodating photographic prints and recording information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 optical camera 12 VTR camera 14 GPS receiver 16 relay station 22 receiver 30 control unit 40 display device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 17/24 H04N 5/781

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A GPS (Graphics) installed at an image capturing location.
Sequentially transmitted by the Global Positioning System)
A GPS receiver for receiving geographic information, and receiving the geographic information and recognizing based on the geographic information
The location name information of the shooting location
A first low-power small wireless device to be transmitted, and a place name information transmitted from the first low-power small wireless device.
A second low-power small-sized wireless device for receiving, the place name information received from the second low-power small-sized radios Taking
Photographing device that records on a recording medium corresponding to the image to be shadowed
And the use of geographic information characterized by being composed of
Image recording system. 2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising :
Receiving the place name information and transmitting the place name information to the photographing device.
It further comprises a small power small radio repeater for transmitting to the
An image recording system using geographic information according to claim 1.
Stem. 3. An image according to claim 1 or claim 2.
Place name information recorded according to the image by the recording system
A photographic print containing the photographic print created from the image.
File is displayed at a position corresponding to the image.
How to use geographic information.