JP2004229024A - Method for managing image, image managing system usable therefor and imaging unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that the frequent setting of complicated communication is inconvenient in a digital camera for transferring a photographed image via a network. <P>SOLUTION: In an image managing system 10, a user accesses to an image server 18 via the network 16 by using a user terminal 20, and sets publishing conditions and photographing plan of the image. When the user photographs the image by using a photographing unit 12, the photographing unit 12 transfers the photographed image and its photographing conditions to the image server 18 through an accessing point 14 via a radio network. The image server 18 collates the photographing conditions and the photographing plan, extracts the publishing conditions conforming to the photographing conditions, and publishes the photographed image to a specific party under the publishing conditions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image management method, an image management system and an imaging device that can be used for the method. The present invention particularly relates to a technique for storing a captured image via a wireless network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a communication infrastructure of a public wireless LAN that provides a communication area by installing a base station on a street or in a specific store has been improved. As the name implies, the public wireless LAN uses wireless LAN technology that was originally used indoors in a limited area, and uses wireless network communication outdoors by distributing it over a wide area. enable. An example in which such a wireless technology is used for a digital camera has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-296001 (full text)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2002-94857 (full text)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Here, a digital still camera of a type that immediately transfers a captured image to a server via a wireless network has a feature that a large number of images can be easily captured and stored without having a large storage area in the camera. However, it is difficult to make complicated settings through a simple interface of a digital camera when it is desired to change a transmission destination or a public party for each photographed image or each photographing situation. Further, if the communication settings are changed through the interface of the digital camera every time an image is taken, it is difficult to make the most of the original feature that the image can be taken and the image can be instantaneously transferred to the server.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to realize immediate transfer of images without impairing the operability of a digital camera. Another object of the present invention is to realize immediate publication of an image without impairing the operability of a digital camera.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an image management method. In this method, a process of setting a correspondence between an image release condition and a shooting schedule of an image prior to shooting of the image, a process of shooting the image, and a process of shooting the shot image by the shooting device using the shooting as an opportunity Corresponding to the process of transmitting via the wireless network with the conditions, the process of receiving the captured image and its capturing conditions via the wireless network, the process of extracting the capturing schedule that matches the capturing conditions, and the extracted capturing schedule Publishing the image taken under the publishing condition.
[0007]
The “publication condition” may set the authority to browse images to be made public on the network. For example, conditions that allow browsing, such as browsing user identification information, access routes, and access times, may be defined for each image. The “shooting schedule” may be at least one of the scheduled shooting date and time and the scheduled shooting position. The “shooting condition” may be at least one of the actual shooting date and time and the shooting position.
[0008]
As described in "Before shooting", items that need to be set through a predetermined operation unit are set before shooting by using a device other than the imaging device, for example, a device having an input interface such as a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a PC). Keep it. Therefore, it is not necessary to set complicated disclosure conditions through a device having a minimum input interface such as an imaging device, and the image can be published easily. The image can be transferred to the image server instantly after shooting, and the image can be automatically released under the optimum disclosure condition without any new operation.
[0009]
Another embodiment of the present invention relates to an image management system. This system includes an imaging device that captures an image of a subject, and an image server that manages the captured image. The imaging apparatus includes a condition detection unit that detects a shooting condition, and a transmission unit that transmits the shot image to the image server via the wireless network together with the shooting condition in response to the shooting. The image server includes: a pre-setting unit configured to set a correspondence relationship between an image disclosure condition and an image capturing schedule before capturing the image; and a receiving unit configured to receive the image captured by the image capturing apparatus and the capturing condition via a wireless network. And an extraction unit that extracts a shooting schedule that matches the shooting conditions, and a publishing unit that publishes images shot under publishing conditions corresponding to the extracted shooting schedules.
[0010]
Also in this embodiment, the image can be instantly transferred to the server, and the image can be easily and automatically released to a specific party without any special operation.
[0011]
Still another embodiment of the present invention relates to an imaging device. The apparatus includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject, and a condition that detects at least one of a shooting date and time and a shooting position as shooting conditions in shooting in order to set disclosure conditions of the shot image based on the shooting conditions. A detecting unit; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the captured image to the image server via the wireless network together with the capturing condition in response to the capturing.
[0012]
According to this aspect, it is possible to automatically transfer an image immediately after shooting to an image server and publish the image under optimal publishing conditions, and realize an imaging apparatus having such a function without providing a special interface. it can.
[0013]
In addition, any combination of the above-described components and the components and expressions of the present invention, methods, devices, systems, computer programs, recording media storing the programs, and those which are mutually replaced among data structures, This is effective as an aspect of the present invention.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of the image management system 10. The access point 14, the image server 18, and the user terminal 20 are connected via the network 16. The imaging device 12 and the access point 14 are connected via a wireless network. The user who is the photographer accesses the image server 18 via the network 16 through the user terminal 20 such as a PC, and sets the disclosure conditions of the photographed image and the photographing schedule before the photographing. The user uses the imaging device 12 to photograph the subject based on the photographing schedule. The imaging device 12 transfers the photographed image together with the photographing conditions to the image server 18 via the access point 14. The image server 18 collates the received photographing condition with a preset photographing schedule, and extracts a disclosure condition corresponding to a suitable photographing schedule. Under the disclosure conditions, the image server 18 discloses the received captured image. The release of images by the image server 18 functions as an electronic album shared on a network.
[0015]
The configuration of the imaging device 12 and the image server 18 can be realized by a CPU, a memory, a communication module, and other LSIs in hardware, and has a data transmission / reception function and an image processing function loaded in the memory in software. The functional blocks that are realized by programs and the like are described below, and are realized by their cooperation. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof. The imaging device 12 is a digital still camera that stores a captured image in an image server 18 via a wireless network. The image captured by the imaging device 12 may include not only a still image but also a moving image, and may include audio data accompanying the image. The image server 18 is a server computer that can be accessed via a LAN or a WAN, and may be, for example, a so-called home server that controls home electric appliances in a home via a network.
[0016]
The network 16 may be a LAN or a WAN. The imaging device 12 and the access point 14 transmit and receive data via a wireless network. The wireless network is, for example, wireless LAN communication such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g, and the access point 14 mainly indicates a base station of a public wireless LAN.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the imaging device 12. The imaging device 12 includes an imaging unit 30, a buffer memory 38, a display unit 40, a condition detection unit 42, a date and time acquisition unit 44, a position acquisition unit 46, and a communication processing unit 48. The imaging unit 30 includes a lens 32 that captures light from a subject and forms an image, a CCD 34 that converts the formed image into an electric signal, an image processing unit 36 that performs A / D conversion of the electric signal and performs compression processing. ,including. The buffer memory 38 is a RAM that receives still image or moving image data compressed in the JPEG format or the MPEG format from the image processing unit 36 or the communication processing unit 48 and temporarily stores the data.
[0018]
The display unit 40 decodes the image stored in the buffer memory 38 and displays the image on the LCD. The communication processing unit 48 includes a communication module of a wireless LAN, and communicates with the access point 14 via the antenna 54. The date and time acquisition unit 44 acquires the current date and time information from the internal clock. The position acquisition unit 46 acquires the current position information by using a GPS (Global Positioning System). The position information includes, for example, latitude and longitude.
[0019]
The communication processing unit 48 includes a transmitting unit 50 and a receiving unit 52. The transmission unit 50 transmits the captured image stored in the buffer memory 38 to the image server 18. When an image reproduction is instructed, the receiving unit 52 receives the image stored in the image server 18 and writes the received image in the buffer memory 38.
[0020]
The condition detecting unit 42 detects a photographing condition of the image when the image is photographed by the imaging unit 30. For example, the photographing date and time and the photographing position are detected from the date and time acquiring unit 44 and the position acquiring unit 46 as the photographing conditions. Further, for example, the condition detecting unit 42 may detect, from the imaging unit 30, shooting conditions such as zoom setting, focus setting, exposure setting, and resolution setting. The condition detecting unit 42 sends the detected photographing condition to the transmitting unit 50, and the transmitting unit 50 transmits the photographing condition to the image server 18 together with the photographed image.
[0021]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image server 18. The image server 18 includes a pre-setting unit 60, an image storage unit 68, a disclosure processing unit 70, an extraction unit 76, and a communication processing unit 78. The pre-setting unit 60 includes a disclosure condition setting unit 62 that sets an image disclosure condition according to a user instruction, a shooting schedule setting unit 64 that sets a shooting schedule according to a user instruction, and a correspondence relationship between the disclosure condition and the shooting schedule. And a setting holding unit 66 for setting and holding according to a user's instruction. The communication processing unit 78 includes a receiving unit 82 that receives a user's instruction from the user terminal 20 and receives a captured image and a capturing condition from the imaging device 12, and a transmission unit 80 that transmits an image to the imaging device 12 and the user terminal 20. ,including.
[0022]
The image storage unit 68 stores the captured image received by the receiving unit 82. The extraction unit 76 compares the shooting conditions received by the receiving unit 82 with the shooting schedule held by the setting holding unit 66, and extracts a shooting schedule that matches the shooting conditions. Further, the extraction unit 76 extracts a disclosure condition corresponding to the extracted shooting schedule and sends it to the disclosure processing unit 70. The disclosure processing unit 70 discloses the captured image under the disclosure conditions extracted by the extraction unit 76. The publishing processing unit 70 includes an authority setting unit 72 for setting an image browsing authority according to a publishing condition, an authentication unit 74 for authenticating a person who saves or browses an image, and in response to a transfer request from the authenticated person. And a transfer processing unit 75 that sends the image stored in the image storage unit 68 to the transmission unit 80. Upon receiving a captured image from a user, the authentication unit 74 authenticates the user. For authentication, biometric authentication based on features such as fingerprints may be used in addition to authentication using identification information or a password. The authority setting unit 72 stores the image received from the authenticated user in the image storage unit 68. The authentication unit 74 authenticates a person who requests browsing of the captured image stored in the image storage unit 68 according to the disclosure condition. The transmission unit 80 transfers the image sent from the transfer processing unit 75 to a specific person authenticated by the authentication unit 74.
[0023]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of processing in the image management system 10. The user sets an image disclosure condition in the image server 18 (S10) and sets a shooting schedule in the image server 18 (S12). When the user captures an image of a subject using the imaging device 12 (S14), the condition detecting unit 42 detects the capturing condition (S16), and the transmitting unit 50 transmits the captured image and the capturing condition (S18). The image server 18 receives the photographed image and the photographing condition (S20), the extracting unit 76 extracts a photographing schedule that matches the photographing condition (S22), and the extracting unit 76 extracts a disclosure condition corresponding to the photographing schedule. (S24). The disclosure processing unit 70 discloses the captured image under the extracted disclosure conditions (S26).
[0024]
FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen for designating a shooting date and time as a shooting schedule. The user specifies a scheduled shooting date 110 and a scheduled shooting time zone 112 through the screen 100 prior to shooting. For example, here, “February 13, 2003, 9:00 to 14:00” is designated as the scheduled shooting date and time.
[0025]
FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen for designating a shooting date and time on a calendar as a shooting schedule. The user can select any one of FIG. 5 and FIG. The screen 100 is a calendar in a calendar format. The vertical axis 116 represents time, and the horizontal axis 114 represents date. This drawing is a schedule table for one week. For example, an area from 9:00 to 14:00 is selected in a column of “February 13” to specify a date and a time zone of a shooting schedule.
[0026]
FIG. 7 shows a screen example in which a shooting location is designated by a place name as a shooting schedule. Prior to photographing, the user selects one of the selected place name candidates 102 through the screen 100. The selected place name candidates 102 hierarchically cover place names from wide place names to detailed place names. For example, if "Kanto district" is selected from the selection place name candidates 102, prefecture names such as "Tokyo", "Kanagawa prefecture", and "Saitama prefecture" are displayed as the next detailed candidates, and when "Tokyo" is further selected, Lower place names, such as Chiyoda Ward, Chuo Ward, and Minato Ward, are displayed as candidates in stages. From these candidates, the place name can be selected in stages, and the shooting place may be designated by a wide place name or the shooting place may be designated by a more detailed place name.
[0027]
FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen for designating a shooting location on a map as a shooting schedule. The user selects any area from the selection map 104 through the screen 100 before photographing. The user can select any one of FIG. 7 and FIG. First, a map in which the whole country is divided into a plurality of regions is displayed as the selection map 104, and when the user selects one of the regions, a detailed map is displayed step by step. By selecting from the maps that are displayed step by step, the user may specify a shooting location in a wide area, or may specify a shooting location in a more detailed area.
[0028]
FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen for designating a disclosure partner as a disclosure condition. Prior to photographing, the user selects a desired name from the partner list 120 via the screen 100 and copies it to the public partner column 122, thereby designating a public partner. An e-mail address is associated with the name displayed on the partner list 120 in advance. When a photographed image is made public, the URL and password of the public site are automatically transmitted to the electronic mail address of the public partner. The password is automatically generated by the authority setting unit 72. As a result, the photographer can easily specify the public party and can notify the public party of the release without any special operation. In addition, the disclosed contents are automatically protected by a password, and privacy can be protected.
[0029]
FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the shooting schedule table 140 held by the advance setting unit 60. The shooting schedule table 140 includes a date and time column 142, a location column 144, and a permitted viewing column 146. The date and time column 142 stores the shooting date and time as the shooting schedule, the location column 144 stores the shooting location as the shooting schedule, and the authorized viewer column 146 stores information on the permitted viewing party. For example, an image taken at “Yushima 2-chome (school), Bunkyo-ku, from 9:00 to 14:00 on February 13, 2003” is permitted to be viewed by three people, “Yukiko, Tsukiko, Hanako”. Is stored in the shooting schedule table 140.
[0030]
FIG. 11 shows a table of the photographing conditions detected by the condition detecting unit 42. The shooting condition table 150 includes a file name column 152, a date and time column 154, and a position column 156. The file name column 152 stores the file name of the captured image, and the date and time column 154 stores the date and time of shooting. The position column 156 stores the latitude and longitude of the shooting position. For example, the image “DCS0021.jpg” was taken at the date and time “February 16, 2003, 11:06:32” at the latitude of 35 ° 39: 19N and 139 ° 44: 55E. Is shown. The photographing condition table 150 is transmitted from the imaging device 12 to the image server 18 together with the photographed image. In the image server 18, the extraction unit 76 reads the shooting date and time from the date and time column 154 and the shooting position from the position column 156. The extraction unit 76 sets a schedule 148 that is to be shot at the location “Tokyo Tower” on the date and time “February 16, 2003, 10:00 to 13:00” as a shooting schedule that matches the shooting date and time and the shooting position. Is extracted from the shooting schedule table 140 shown in FIG.
[0031]
On the other hand, the image “DCS0023.jpg” was captured at the date and time “13:26:05 on February 16, 2003” at a position of “35 ° 39: 19 north latitude, 139 ° 44: 55 seconds east longitude”. However, when compared with the shooting schedule table 140 in FIG. 10, the shooting date and time do not match the schedule 148. Also, the shooting position does not match the schedule 149 that is set to be shot at the place “National Museum” on the date and time “13:00 to 15:00 on February 16, 2003”. Assuming such a situation, for example, a setting may be made so as to extract a shooting schedule with priority given to matching of shooting positions. In this case, the schedule 148 having the same shooting position is preferentially extracted.
[0032]
The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. . Hereinafter, some modified examples will be described.
[0033]
In the embodiment, the setting has been described in which when matching the shooting conditions with the shooting schedule, the matching shooting schedule is extracted with priority given to the matching of the shooting positions. As a modified example, the setting may be such that the shooting schedule is extracted by preferentially matching the shooting date and time, or the shooting schedule that matches both the shooting date and time and the shooting position may be extracted. When one or both of the photographing date and time and the photographing position do not match, a setting may be made in which the photographing device 12 displays a temporally or positionally close photographing schedule and prompts the photographer to make a selection.
[0034]
In the embodiment, after the disclosure condition and the shooting schedule are set in the image server 18, the image server 18 holds them. In a modified example, the disclosure condition and the shooting schedule set by the image server 18 may be transferred to the imaging device 12 before shooting, and may be stored in the imaging device 12. For example, when it is desired to transmit to a different image server for each photographed image, URLs of a plurality of image servers may be determined as disclosure conditions, and may be associated with a photographing date and time or a photographing position. This makes it possible to make individual settings, for example, transmitting an image taken in the office during the daytime to the server of the company, and transmitting an image taken outside the office after work to the server at home. Such a disclosure condition to be held in the imaging device 12 is not limited to a configuration in which the image server 18 transfers the image data to the imaging device 12, but may be a configuration in which the imaging device 12 reads the image via a predetermined recording medium such as a memory card.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the convenience of a network storage camera can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of an image management system.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging device.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image server.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of processing in the image management system.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating a shooting date and time as a shooting schedule.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating a shooting date and time on a calendar as a shooting schedule.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for designating a shooting location by a place name as a shooting schedule;
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating a shooting location on a map as a shooting schedule.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating a disclosure partner as a disclosure condition.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a shooting schedule table held by a pre-setting unit.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a table of imaging conditions detected by a condition detection unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 image management system, 12 imaging devices, 16 networks, 18 image servers, 30 imaging units, 42 condition detection units, 44 date and time acquisition units, 46 position acquisition units, 50 transmission units, 60 pre-setting units, 70 disclosure processing units, 76 Extraction unit, 80 transmission unit.

Claims (4)

A process of setting a correspondence relationship between a release condition of an image and a shooting schedule of the image prior to shooting of the image,
The process of taking an image,
A step of transmitting the photographed image via a wireless network together with a photographing condition with the photographing device as a trigger of the photographing,
A step in which the image server receives the photographed image and the photographing conditions via a wireless network,
Extracting a shooting schedule that matches the shooting conditions;
Publishing the photographed image under publishing conditions corresponding to the extracted photographing schedule,
An image management method comprising: An imaging device that captures an image of a subject, and an image server that manages the captured image,
The imaging device,
A condition detection unit that detects a shooting condition;
A transmitting unit that transmits the captured image to the image server via the wireless network together with the capturing condition in response to the capturing,
The image server,
A pre-setting unit for setting the correspondence between the release condition of the image and the shooting schedule of the image before shooting the image,
A receiving unit that receives the captured image and the capturing condition from the imaging device via a wireless network,
An extraction unit that extracts a shooting schedule that matches the shooting conditions,
A publishing processing unit for publishing the photographed image under a publishing condition corresponding to the extracted photographing schedule. The shooting schedule is at least one of a shooting schedule date and time and a shooting schedule position,
The image management system according to claim 2, wherein the shooting condition is at least one of an actual shooting date and time and a shooting position. An imaging unit that captures an image of a subject;
A condition detection unit that detects at least one of a photographing date and time and a photographing position as a photographing condition in the photographing so as to set a disclosure condition of the photographed image based on the photographing condition;
A transmitting unit that transmits the photographed image to an image server via a wireless network together with the photographing conditions in response to the photographing;
An imaging device comprising:

Images