JP2005107061A - Method of displaying picture on map - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide method of displaying a picture on a map which enables a user to intuitively and totally grasp the relationship between a position on a map and pictures seen from the position. <P>SOLUTION: In method of displaying the picture on the map, the pictures corresponding to the position on an electronic map are displayed. Therein, a displayed map has azimuthal information, and one or more sheets of the pictures corresponding to the position on the map has each also azimuthal information. When designating the position on the map and displaying the picture, one or more pictures are displayed in conformity with the azimuthal information of the pictures around the designated position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display method on a map in a multimedia device such as a computer, the Internet's World Wide Web (hereinafter referred to as WWW), a mobile phone, a car navigation system, and the like. The present invention relates to an image display method on a map that can provide easy-to-understand and realistic information by displaying a corresponding image according to a direction on a map.

  Maps have been widely used with images corresponding to the location of the map. For example, there are books such as travel guide books. Some museum guidebooks include maps (drawings) of the museum and images of works.

  Recently, with the development of multimedia devices such as computers, the world wide web of the Internet, mobile phones and car navigation systems, maps can also be viewed on these multimedia display screens. In the Internet WWW, there is a system in which a map is designated and corresponding information is obtained on the map. For example, when a restaurant location is designated, incidental information such as a restaurant image, contact information, comments, and prices is displayed.

  These pieces of information correspond to positions on the map, but are not displayed according to the orientation on the map. Further, when a plurality of images are displayed simultaneously, a display method in which the relationship between these images can be intuitively desired is desired.

  In a computer game or the like, there is a method of creating a virtual space in a computer and displaying an image so as to be in a three-dimensional virtual space. In this method, it is possible to deal with the position and orientation in the virtual space, but this requires a complicated system and an omnidirectional image. Furthermore, the direction that can be seen at one time is a single direction, and it is difficult to intuitively understand the relationship between the position on the map and the image seen from it, and for example, the situation on the back side cannot be seen at the same time. It is not a display method in which the overall image relationship is intuitively understood.

It is widely practiced to record the shooting location, date and time, and lens type as one of the information of images taken by the camera. There is also a concept of recording the shooting direction and angle, and a camera that automatically records the shooting direction is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-129216

  An object of the present invention is to display an image corresponding to the position of the map in accordance with the shooting direction, so that the relationship between the position on the map and the image viewed from the map can be intuitively and totally understood. An image display method is provided.

  As a result of earnest research in view of the above, the present inventor assigns azimuth information in which each image was captured to each image, and automatically arranges the image based on the calculation result calculated from the azimuth information of this image, The inventors have found that the object of the invention can be achieved, and have completed the present invention based on the findings.

  That is, the image display method on the map of the present invention is a method of displaying an image corresponding to the position on the electronic map, and the displayed map has direction information and corresponds to the position on the map. When one or more images each have orientation information and an image is displayed by designating a position on the map, one or more images are displayed around the designated position according to the orientation information of the image. It is characterized by.

  In the above invention, when an image is displayed on the display screen, the image is rotated and displayed so that the shooting azimuth axis of the image is the same as the azimuth axis on the map.

  The image display method on the map according to the present invention can be automatically arranged by calculation only by giving each image a direction information photographed. In addition, the map can always be rearranged automatically by calculation regardless of the direction of the map, that is, the direction corresponding to the upper direction on the screen. This is an image display method on a map that can be displayed in a different position and orientation.

  In addition, a plurality of images taken from different positions from a certain position can be displayed at the same time, and a realistic display is possible.

  The image display method on the map of the present invention will be described in detail. The “map” used in the present invention is a space having a two-dimensional positional relationship and a reference azimuth. These include commonly used town maps, road maps, and world maps. That is, the map can limit a certain position (location) and can limit the azimuth (direction) viewed from the location. The image of the viewed azimuth can be associated with the position.

  It is assumed that the azimuth on the map and the azimuth recorded as a pair on the image can correspond. In general, with “north” as a reference, the angle of rotation with north, east, south, and west can be expressed as an angle. In this case, the north is 0 degrees, the east is 90 degrees, the south is 180 degrees, the west is 270 degrees, and the north is 360 degrees. The direction can be expressed in radians or angles.

  On the other hand, as a different method, the rotation angle to the west side (opposite to the predetermined rotation direction) can be expressed as-(minus), such as 90 degrees in the east and -90 degrees in the west.

  In addition, if the image display orientation is limited to several orientations, a notation such that 0 is north, 1 is northeast, and 2 is east is possible. In order to automate the display, a reference azimuth is determined as the azimuth. Usually, “north” is the standard. In order to automate, it is convenient to handle these directions numerically, and it is convenient to set the reference direction to 0.

  In the display (on the screen), the orientation of the image is associated regardless of the orientation of the display as the reference orientation of the map. The angle of rotation with north, east, south, and west is expressed as an angle with "north" as the reference, one rotation is 360 degrees, the display standard is the on-screen direction, this is 0, and the orientation that serves as the map reference is If the image is displayed so as to be rotated by 90 degrees (that is, when the north of the map becomes right in the display), the image orientation corresponding to the orientation of the map can be obtained by calculating the orientation of the image to +90.

  Thus, the “map” used in the present invention may be a space having a two-dimensional positional relationship and a reference orientation. Therefore, the “map” used in the present invention may be a drawing of a building, a drawing of a machine, or a virtual space. In this case, there is no real world orientation (east, west, north, and south), but it can be handled in exactly the same way by determining the reference orientation. That is, in a certain map (mechanical drawing), a certain direction may be determined as a reference direction. The image orientation is recorded in association with this.

  The “image” used in the present invention is an image viewed from a certain direction or an image viewed from a certain direction. An “image” is usually a photographic image. For example, an image obtained by photographing the north direction from a certain intersection or an image obtained by photographing the south direction. On the other hand, it is an image taken from the north direction of the building or an image taken from the south direction of a building.

  An “image” is not limited to a photographic image, but an image viewed from a certain direction, or an image viewed from a certain direction. It may be a computer graphics image or illustration. In particular, when the “map” is a drawing of a building, a drawing of a machine, or a virtual space, an image corresponding to these is displayed.

  The method of “displaying an image by designating a position on a map” used in the present invention is a method of “displaying one or more images around a designated position according to image orientation information”.

  The conventional method of “displaying an image by designating a position on a map” has been a method of displaying an image corresponding to the position regardless of the orientation. For example, when a position on the map is clicked on the WWW, an image at an appropriate location is displayed.

  In the present invention, one or more images are displayed around the specified position in accordance with the image orientation information. This can be automatically processed by image orientation information. For example, when a plurality of images that look at a certain direction are set for a certain position on the map, in order to display these images, the direction information of each image and the reference of the map are displayed from the certain position on the map. Each image is displayed in the direction (direction) calculated from the direction and the reference direction of display. As a result, these images are displayed around the designated position.

  On the other hand, when an image viewed from a certain direction is set for a certain position on the map, the image display method differs depending on the notation of the direction information of the image. One is to record the azimuth opposite to the azimuth directed to the camera, for example, in order to handle the same as the “plurality of images viewed from a certain position”. For example, when the azimuth is expressed by 360 degrees, 180 degrees is added. As a result, an image taken at a certain position from the east side toward the west side (270 degrees) is recorded as east, that is, 90 degrees (270 + 180 = 360 + 90). An image obtained by photographing a certain position from the east side is displayed on the east side of the certain position.

  An image viewed from a certain direction is actually an image viewed from a position away from a certain position on the map. For this reason, there is a method by shifting the reference position of the image displayed with respect to the designated position in the direction.

  As a method of displaying an image on the display screen, a method of setting the top direction of the image to the top (up) direction of the display screen is generally used. For example, an image viewed from a certain position on the map is displayed with the sky up and the ground down. In the present invention, the following display method can be further performed. In the present invention, the image can be displayed after being rotated so that the shooting azimuth axis of the image is the same as the azimuth axis on the map. Thus, the image is displayed around a position on the map so that the viewing direction is the celestial (upward) direction with the celestial (upward) direction on the display screen as the upward direction.

  This display method can display a plurality of images on the display screen. These multiple images are images viewed from a certain position on the map, and since the images are rotated as viewed from that position, it is easy to grasp the whole image intuitively and provide a sense of realism. It is done.

  The “image shooting azimuth axis” is the azimuth direction in the image and the shot (viewed) direction. The image is rotated so that the azimuth axis is vertically up when displayed in advance. The display position of the image is a position in a direction coinciding with the orientation information of the image from the position on the map. Here, there is a method in which the image is displayed by being rotated by an angle in a display direction. If north is 0 degree and the azimuth angle is represented by 360 degrees in a clockwise direction, if the reference azimuth angle of the map with the top of the display screen is 90 degrees (east), the azimuth angle 90 viewed from a certain position on the map The image of degree (east) is displayed at the position angle 0 degree (top side) at the position with the rotation angle 0 degree. An image with an azimuth angle of 180 degrees (south) is displayed at a position angle of 90 degrees (right side) at that position with a rotation angle of 90 degrees.

  On the other hand, this display method can perform another display. If these multiple images are images that looked at a certain position on the map, an image of that position viewed from the surroundings is displayed around that position and is rotated as viewed from the surroundings. In addition, it is easy to grasp the whole picture and a sense of reality is obtained.

  In this case, as described above, the direction of shooting (viewed) is reversed and recorded (add 180 degrees or subtract 180 degrees). Further, when the image is displayed, it is rotated 180 degrees so that the shooting azimuth axis of the image is vertically downward. The display position of the image is a position in a direction coinciding with the orientation information of the image from the position on the map. The image is displayed rotated by an angle in the direction in which it is displayed. If the north is 0 degree and the azimuth angle is represented by 360 degrees in a clockwise direction, the map is as follows when the reference azimuth angle of the map is 90 degrees (east). An image obtained by viewing a certain position on the map from east to west (azimuth angle 270 degrees) is rotated so that the position angle is 90 degrees (270-180) and the shooting azimuth axis of the image is vertically downward. For this reason, this image is displayed with a rotation angle of 0 degree at a position angle of 0 degree (top side) at that position. This means that the image is displayed upside down so that the top of the image is down. On the other hand, an image obtained by viewing a certain position on the map from west to east (azimuth angle 90 degrees) is rotated so that the position angle is 270 degrees (90 + 180) and the shooting azimuth axis of the image is vertically downward. For this reason, this image is displayed by being rotated by a rotation angle of 180 degrees to a position angle of 180 degrees (ground side) at that position. This means that the image is displayed on the lower side and displayed so that the top of the image is on the top (the top of the display screen), that is, normally.

  In the present invention, a plurality of images viewed from a certain position can be displayed around a certain position at a position in the viewing direction so that the top of the image is far and the ground of the image is close.

  On the other hand, multiple images of a certain position viewed from around a certain position should be located in the direction of the direction of the viewing position around the certain position so that the top of the image is near and the ground of the image is far away. Can be displayed.

  The image display method of the present invention can be used on the Internet WWW. Interactive display of maps and images associated with the maps on the home page. It can be used with mobile phones, TV games, and computer software.

  By using the image display method of the present invention, many images can be combined and recorded. In this case, the map described in the present invention may or may not exist. A plurality of pieces of information related to a certain item (which may or may not be images) can be displayed around a certain point. The display position can be determined by giving direction information to each information.

  For example, information such as an image viewed from the top, bottom, left, and right, text information such as specifications / contacts / catch copy, and information such as a moving image is recorded as information on a certain product. When this product is displayed, these images, text, and moving images are displayed around a certain point.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The map image display method of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as an example of a map screen displayed on a browser used on the Internet WWW. In FIG. 1, an image display button 2 is set on the map 1. This image display button 2 indicates that an image viewed from this point is displayed. By clicking the image display button 2, an image associated with the position is displayed. There may be any number of image display buttons 2 on the map 1.

  FIG. 2 shows a screen display example in which the image display button 2 is clicked and an image is displayed on the map 1. In the case of FIG. 2, the top of the display screen coincides with the north on the map 1. For this reason, the image 3 (image taken in the north direction) is displayed immediately above the image display button 2 (north side), and the image 4 (image taken in the east direction) is displayed on the right side (east side) of the image display button 2. The image 5 (image taken in the south direction) is displayed directly below the image display button 2 (south side), and the image 6 (image taken in the west direction) is displayed on the left (west side) of the image display button 2. Is displayed. In this case, four images are set.

  FIG. 3 shows a screen display example in which an image is displayed on the map when the image display button 2 is clicked and the map is rotated. In the case of FIG. 3, the map 1 is rotated by -60 degrees (60 degrees contrary to the clock). The top of the display screen does not match the north on the map. You may want to see the map rotate arbitrarily. In some cases, it is better to match the direction of travel to the top of the display screen as in a car navigation system. Even in such a case, in the image display method on the map of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the image 3 (image obtained by photographing the north direction) is displayed on the north side on the map 1 of the image display button 2. , Image 4 (image taken from the east direction) is displayed on the east side on the map 1 of the image display button 2, and image 5 (image taken from the south direction) is displayed on the map 1 from the image display button 2. Displayed on the south side, image 6 (an image obtained by photographing the west direction) is displayed on the west side of the image display button 2 on the map 1. In this way, it is possible to display an image desired to be displayed in accordance with the orientation on the map as intended.

  In the image display method on a map of the present invention, the displayed map and the displayed image each have orientation information, and when the image is displayed by designating the position on the map, the image is displayed. This is because the display position is calculated from the orientation information and displayed.

  Further, each displayed image can be displayed as viewed from the position of the image display button 2 in the image display method on the map of the present invention when the image is displayed on the display screen. This is because the image is rotated and displayed so that the axis is the same as the azimuth axis on the map.

  Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows a screen display example in which an image is displayed on a drawing (map) displayed on a browser on the Internet WWW using the image display method on a map of the present invention. In FIG. 4, an image display button 8 is set in FIG. The image display button 8 indicates that an image obtained by viewing the position of the image display button 8 or the object indicated by the image display button 8 from the surroundings is displayed. By clicking the image display button 8, an image associated with the position is displayed. There may be any number of image display buttons 8 on the drawing 7.

  In the case of FIG. 4, the top of the display screen matches the top (top) of the drawing. Therefore, the image 9 (image taken from the front) is displayed directly below the image display button 8, and the image 10 (image taken from the right toward the image) is displayed to the right of the image display button 8, and the image 11 (from the back). The photographed image) is displayed immediately above the image display button 8, and the image 12 (image photographed from the left side) is displayed to the left of the image display button 8.

  Although not shown in the figure, FIG. 7 can be arbitrarily rotated in FIG. 4, and when the drawing 7 is rotated, the display position of each image is the orientation information of the drawing and each direction as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The image is displayed in accordance with the orientation of the drawing, calculated from the orientation information of the image.

  The image display method on a map according to the present invention is easy to understand by displaying an image corresponding to a map in accordance with the orientation on the map in a multimedia device such as a computer, the Internet WWW, a mobile phone, or a car navigation system. It can be used as a method for displaying images on a map that can provide a sense of information.

It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the map which is an example of embodiment in this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display which displayed the image on the map which is an example of embodiment in this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display which displayed the image on the map when the map which is an example of embodiment in this invention is rotated. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display which displayed the image on drawing (map) which is an example of embodiment in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Map 2 Image display button (Display the image seen from this point)
3 images (images taken from the north direction)
4 images (images taken from the east)
5 images (images taken from south)
6 images (images taken from the west)
7 Drawing 8 Image display button (displays an image of this object viewed from the surroundings)
9 images (images taken from the front)
10 images (images taken from the right)
11 images (images taken from behind)
12 images (images taken from the left)

Claims (2)

  A method of displaying an image corresponding to a position on an electronic map, wherein the displayed map has direction information, and one or more images corresponding to the position on the map each have direction information, A method for displaying an image on a map, wherein when an image is displayed by designating a position on a map, one or more images are displayed around the designated position in accordance with image orientation information.   2. The image display on a map according to claim 1, wherein when the image is displayed on the display screen, the image is rotated and displayed so that the shooting azimuth axis of the image is the same as the azimuth axis on the map. Method.

Images