JP2005252457A - Image transmission system, apparatus, and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image transmission system, apparatus, and method capable of properly transmitting only a required image to a particular apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A second storage section 114 stores possessor information of an external device 11 capable of transmitting, by radio, image data imaged by an imaging section 110. A photographer images image data of an object and stores the image data in a first storage section 113. Then, a recognition section 115 collates the possessor information with information of the object in the image data and a radio communication section 116 transmits, by radio, the image data stored in the storage device to the external device 119 under the condition that the possessor information is coincident with the information of the object on the basis of a result of the collation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image transmission system, apparatus, and method for wirelessly transmitting image data of a subject imaged by an imaging apparatus to an external apparatus.

  In recent years, digital cameras have become widespread, and image data of captured subjects are frequently transferred to other devices such as personal computers (PCs), other digital cameras, and printers.

  For example, an image stored in an imaging device and its image information are transferred from a mobile terminal to another mobile terminal using short-range wireless communication, and the transferred image and image information are transferred to the liquid crystal screen size of the transfer destination mobile terminal, An invention relating to an image transfer system, an image transfer method, a wireless communication device, and an imaging device that can improve the operability of image selection in a portable terminal by displaying the image with the optimum resolution is disclosed (for example, patents). Reference 1).

In addition, by automatically transferring an image captured by the automatic image transmission digital camera based on a predetermined transmission condition or transmission timing, it is possible to quickly transmit the image at a suitable timing that does not interfere with the user's camera operation. The invention which can be performed is also disclosed (for example, refer patent document 2).
JP 2002-354149 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-10188

  As described above, Patent Document 1 describes details of an image transfer system that can improve the operability of image selection in a portable terminal, and Patent Document 2 describes details of image transmission timing. None of the documents disclose or suggest the details of the image transmission destination.

  As a current state of image transmission technology, a digital camera equipped with a communication function or a mobile communication terminal with a digital camera can be used for a specific device, for example, an external device such as a digital camera or a mobile communication terminal owned by a person who is an imaged subject. In order to perform image transmission, it is necessary to first capture an image from the PC via a wired or memory card, etc., and connect the PC and the digital camera or portable communication terminal via a public line to transmit the image. there were. In addition, even when wireless image transmission is performed, it is essential that the designation of the transmission destination is set in advance in a specific communication terminal, and not only the image that is desired to be transmitted but also the image that is not particularly required at the time of transmission. All were transmitted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image transmission system, apparatus, and method that can suitably transmit only necessary images to a specific apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, an image transmission system according to the present invention includes:
Imaging means for imaging image data of a subject;
Storage means for storing the image data in a storage device;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the image data to another device;
Storage means for storing owner information of other devices capable of wireless transmission of data by the wireless transmission means;
Collating means for collating the owner information and information on the subject in the image data;
The wireless transmission means wirelessly transmits the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information are matched from the collation result by the collation means. It is characterized by.

The present invention is also an image transmission method for wirelessly transmitting captured image data to another device,
A storage step of storing owner information of another device capable of wireless transmission of the image data in a storage device;
An imaging process for imaging image data of a subject;
A storage step of storing the image data in a storage device;
A collation step of collating the owner information with the information of the subject in the image data;
A wireless transmission step of wirelessly transmitting the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information are matched from the matching result in the matching step; It is characterized by having.

Furthermore, the image transmission apparatus according to the present invention is
Imaging means for imaging image data of a subject;
Storage means for storing the image data in a storage device;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the image data to another apparatus in which transmission destination information is stored in advance;
Storage means for storing owner information of other devices capable of wireless transmission of data by the wireless transmission means;
Collating means for collating the owner information and information on the subject in the image data;
The wireless transmission means wirelessly transmits the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information match from the collation result by the collation means. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, only necessary images can be suitably transmitted to a specific device. For example, image data captured by a digital camera or the like can be suitably wirelessly transmitted only to an external device owned by a person who is a subject in the image data.

  Hereinafter, image transmission using an image transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 10 and 20 denote mobile communication terminals (hereinafter referred to as “mobile communication terminals”) equipped with a digital image capturing function. Reference numerals 30 and 40 denote digital cameras equipped with a communication function (hereinafter referred to as “digital cameras”). Reference numeral 50 denotes a public communication network for connecting radio waves transmitted and received between the mobile communication terminals 10 and 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, between the above terminals, the image data is not transmitted between the mobile communication terminal 10 and the mobile communication terminal 20 via the public communication network 50, and not via the public communication network 50. Transmission of image data between the mobile communication terminal 10 and the mobile communication terminal 20, transmission of image data between the mobile communication terminal 10 and the digital camera 30 by wireless communication, and communication between the mobile communication terminal 20 and the digital camera 40 by wireless communication The image data can be transmitted between the digital camera 30 and the digital camera 40 by wireless communication. Since each communication uses a known communication technique, the details thereof are omitted. To do.

  The mobile communication terminals 10 and 20 and the digital cameras 30 and 40 function as image transmission apparatuses that can wirelessly transmit captured image data to other apparatuses. However, in the following, mainly images captured by the digital camera 30 will be described. An example in which data is wirelessly transmitted to another digital camera or a mobile communication terminal will be described. Note that the same can be executed when the main body of wireless transmission is the digital camera 40 or the mobile communication terminals 10 and 20.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of image transmission using the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of an image in the configuration of the image transmission system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a transmission path. Here, an outline of image transmission in the image transmission system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  2 and 3, reference numeral 100 denotes an image photographer, 101 denotes a digital camera owned by the photographer 100, 102 denotes an image display unit of the digital camera 101, and 103 denotes a mobile communication terminal owned by the imager 100. . Reference numeral 200 denotes a subject (person) captured by the digital camera 101, and 201 denotes a digital camera owned by the subject 200. Reference numeral 300 denotes a subject (person) imaged together with the subject 200 by the digital camera 101, and 301 denotes a portable communication terminal owned by the subject 300. Note that the digital cameras 101 and 201 and the portable communication terminals 103 and 301 shown in FIG. 2 can wirelessly transmit image data and the like to each other using a known communication technique as described above.

  Note that image information of the subject 200 and the subject 300 is registered in advance in the digital camera 101 owned by the photographer 100 shown in FIG. The digital camera 101 further registers each image transmission destination information linked to the image information (for example, pointer information such as the IP address of the storage device of the digital camera or portable communication terminal owned by each subject). ing.

  Here, it is assumed that the photographer 100 has photographed the subjects 200 and 300 using the digital camera 101 owned by the photographer 100. When the digital camera 101 verifies that the imaging information of the subjects 200 and 300 matches the registered image information, the captured image is transferred to the digital camera 201 of the subject 200 and the mobile communication terminal 301 of the subject 300. Each is transmitted wirelessly. Thus, the image data captured by the digital camera 101 is stored not only in the digital camera 101 but also in the memory of the digital camera 201 and the portable communication terminal 301. Note that the mobile communication terminal 103 is present as another external device in the vicinity of the photographer 100, but since the owner, the photographer 100, is not reflected in the image data captured by the digital camera 101, the image data Is not transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 103.

  As described above, in the digital camera 101, a person shown in the captured image data is collated with information registered in advance. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 2, the subject 200 is shown in FIG. The image data is transmitted only to the digital camera 201 and the portable communication terminal 301 of the subject 300, and is not transmitted to the portable communication terminal 103 of the photographer 100. As described above, the present invention determines whether or not an external device owned by a person whose transmission destination information is registered in advance determines whether or not the person is a subject in the captured image data. The image data is transmitted only to an external device owned by a person.

  The external device registered as transmission plan information is not limited to an external device owned by the person, but may be a specific external device designated in advance by the person.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the image transmission apparatus in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 corresponds to the digital camera 101 in FIG. 2, and the external device 119 corresponds to the digital camera 201 or the portable communication terminal 301 in FIG. Note that when the photographer performs the same processing using the mobile communication terminal 103, the image transmission apparatus 121 is replaced by the mobile communication terminal 103 instead of the digital camera 101.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 110 denotes a solid-state image sensor that photoelectrically converts (reflected) light from a subject to generate an analog image signal, and converts the analog image signal generated by the solid-state image sensor into a digital signal. Is an image pickup unit having an image signal processing function for converting and generating a predetermined compressed image data. Reference numeral 111 denotes a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) that functions as a control unit that drives and controls the imaging unit 110 and various processing units described later.

  4, reference numeral 112 denotes a display unit that is driven and controlled by the CPU 111 and displays a captured image based on the image data generated by the imaging unit 110, and corresponds to the image display unit 102 of FIG. Reference numeral 113 denotes a first storage unit that is driven and controlled by the CPU 111 and stores image data generated by the imaging unit 110 in an auxiliary storage (secondary storage) device such as a hard disk, and 114 is driven and controlled by the CPU 111 and the imaging unit. The second storage unit stores personal information (owner information) such as a face image of a person who is an image transmission destination of the image data generated in 110 in an auxiliary storage device.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes a recognition unit that collates the image data stored in the first storage unit 113 with the personal information stored in the second storage unit 114 and identifies whether or not they match. For example, in the recognition unit 115, a subject image (for example, a face image) captured by the imaging unit 110 stored in the first storage unit 113 and a person image (for example, stored in advance in the second storage unit 114). For example, recognition processing such as pattern matching (face image) is performed to determine whether or not the persons in both images are the same person. Further, 116 is a wireless communication unit that wirelessly transmits image data stored in the first storage unit 113 based on drive control of the CPU 111, and 117 is an imaging unit 110, CPU 111, display unit 112, and wireless communication hand unit 116. It is a power supply part which supplies the power supply for driving. Reference numeral 120 denotes a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing image data captured by the imaging unit 110 in a main storage (primary storage) device such as a memory.

  Further, in the image transmission system shown in FIG. 4, similarly to the wireless communication unit 116 of the image transmission apparatus 121, it is wirelessly connected to an external device 119 having a wireless communication unit 118 capable of wireless communication.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an image data transmission operation in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a case where the recognition unit 114 performs image recognition will be described. That is, in FIG. 5, after the captured image data is stored in the first storage unit 113, the recognition unit 114 matches the image with the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for wireless transmission to an external device owned by a subject person who collates image data stored in the first storage unit 113 in this case.

  First, in the image transmission system according to the present embodiment, the photographer 100 uses the power supply unit 117 to turn on the main power of the digital camera 101 with a communication function, which is an image transmission device (step S101). When power is supplied to the imaging unit 110 and activated, the display unit 112 (that is, the image display unit 102) such as a liquid crystal display that displays an image captured by the CCD is activated at the same time (step S102). Next, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button (step S103). As a result, an image is captured with the composition, and the captured image data is stored in an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk as the first storage unit 113 (step S104). Thereby, even if the main power supply of the digital camera 101 is turned off, the captured image is not lost.

  Next, the image of the subject reflected in the image data stored in the first storage unit 113 is collated with various pieces of personal information previously stored in the second storage unit 114 (step S106). As a result, it is determined whether or not the person information of the captured image matches the person information stored in the second storage unit 114 (step S107). As a result, if the person shown in the captured image does not correspond to a person registered in advance (No), the image transmission process is terminated. On the other hand, when the person in the captured image corresponds to a person registered in advance (Yes), the captured image data is transmitted to the image transmission destination linked to the registered image (step S108).

  It should be noted that even when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in the same manner.

  As described above, according to the image transmission system according to the present embodiment, the person in the image is owned by collating the person information registered in advance with the information of the person who is the subject. It is possible to transmit image data only to an external device.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an image data transmission operation in the image transmission system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the image transmission system according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the image transmission system according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, the captured image data is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120, and then the image is collated with the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Then, a system will be described in which the image data is wirelessly transmitted to an external device owned by the person of the subject when they match, and is stored again in the first storage unit 113 after transmission.

  First, in the image transmission system according to the second embodiment, when the photographer 100 turns on the main power supply of the digital camera 102 with a communication function (step S201), the image captured from the CCD is displayed simultaneously with the activation of the imaging unit 110. The image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display is also activated (step S202). Then, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button (step S203). Thereby, the captured image data is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 which is a main storage (primary storage) device such as a buffer provided in the digital camera 101 (step S204).

  Here, when a person is reflected in the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120, the recognition unit 115 compares the person image with the person information stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance ( In step S205, it is determined whether or not the information matches the person information previously stored in the second storage unit 114 (step S206). As a result, when the person shown in the image does not correspond to the information of the person registered in advance (No), the auxiliary storage device that is the first storage unit 113 stores the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120. (Step S209), and this process ends.

  On the other hand, if the image corresponds to the image registered in advance in step S207 (Yes), the image data is transmitted to the external device of the image transmission destination linked to the registered image (step S208). Then, after the transmission, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is stored (stored) again in the auxiliary storage device which is the first storage unit 113 (step S209), and this process is terminated. Note that after the image data is stored in the first storage unit 113 in step S209, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is deleted (discarded) by turning off the main power of the digital camera 101. )

  It should be noted that even when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in the same manner.

  As described above, according to the image transmission system according to the second embodiment, the person information registered in advance and the information of the person who is the subject are collated as in the first embodiment. Thus, it is possible to transmit image data only to an external device owned by a person shown in the image.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the image data transmission operation in the image transmission system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the image transmission system according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the image transmission systems according to the first and second embodiments, and a description thereof will be omitted. In the third embodiment, captured image data is stored in the temporary storage unit 120, and when the image is recognized and matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance, the image data is transmitted. A transmission system will be described. Therefore, in this embodiment, the finally captured image does not remain in the state after the main power of the digital camera 101 is turned off.

  First, in the image transmission system according to the third embodiment, when the photographer 100 turns on the main power source of the digital camera 102 with a communication function (step S301), an image captured from the CCD is displayed simultaneously with the activation of the imaging unit 110. The image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display is also activated (step S302). Next, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button (step S303). As a result, the image data is immediately captured and stored in the temporary storage unit 120 (step S304), the image is recognized by the recognition unit 115 (step S305), and the personal information previously stored in the second storage unit 114 is stored. Are collated (step S306), and it is determined whether or not they match (step S307).

  As a result, when the person shown in the image does not correspond to the person stored in advance in the second storage unit 114 (No), the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is erased (discarded) ( Step S309), this process ends. On the other hand, when the person shown in the image corresponds to a person stored in advance in the second storage unit 114 (Yes), the temporary storage unit 120 stores the image transmission destination external device linked to the registered image. The stored image data is transmitted (step S308).

  Note that if the person in the image does not correspond, the captured image is not stored in any device, and a warning to that effect may be notified to the photographer 100. Further, when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in substantially the same manner. In the present embodiment, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is erased (discarded) when the main power of the digital camera 101 is turned off.

  As described above, according to the image transmission system according to the third embodiment, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the personal information registered in advance and the information of the person who is the subject are obtained. By collating, it is possible to transmit image data only to an external device owned by a person shown in the image. Further, the image data that is no longer necessary after transmission can be automatically deleted without being stored.

<Fourth Embodiment>
In the fourth embodiment, the operation of the release button in the image transmission system is divided into the release button 1 in the half-pressed state and the release button 2 in the fully-pressed state. In this case, a case will be described in which information about a person is displayed as an index on the image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display so that an image transmission destination person can be known when the release button 1 is turned on. The configuration of the image transmission system according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the image transmission system according to the first to third embodiments, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 8 shows an image transmission system for recognizing the image after storing the captured image data in the first storage unit 113 and transmitting the image data when the image matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of.

  First, in the image transmission system described in the first embodiment, when the main power of the digital camera 101 with a communication function is turned on (step S401), the imaging unit 110 is activated and simultaneously displays an image captured from the CCD. The image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display is activated (step S402). Here, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button 1 (step S403). Thereby, a focusing operation for focusing on the subject is started (step S404), and at the same time, it is taken from the CCD and temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 (step S405). If a person is reflected in the image data, the recognition unit 115 recognizes the image of the person (step S406), searches for personal information previously stored in the second storage unit 114, and collates it. Is performed (step S407).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the image data is a registered image based on the result of the collation (step S408). If the image data corresponds to the registered image (Yes), the liquid crystal display (image) on which the captured image data is displayed is displayed. On the display unit 102), an index for confirming the person who is the destination of the image is displayed in a superimposed manner (step S409). For example, as an example of the index, there is information that enables the photographer to specify the person, such as a face image, a nomination, and an e-mail address of the person.

  Then, after confirming the transmission destination based on the index displayed on the image display unit 102, the photographer 100 turns on the release button 2 (step S410), and stores the image data in the first storage unit 113. Save in the memory (step S411). Then, the image data is transmitted to an external device (image transmission destination) owned by a person who is a transmission destination of the image displayed on the image display unit 102 (step S412), and this process ends.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S408 is that the captured image does not correspond to the registered image (No), the index for confirming the transmission destination is not displayed, and the photographer 100 turns on the release button 2 (step S40). In step S413, the image data is stored in the internal memory that is the first storage unit 113 (step S414), and the process ends. Note that after the image data is stored in the first storage unit 113 in steps S411 and S414, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is erased by turning off the main power of the digital camera 101. (Discarded). Further, when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in substantially the same manner.

  In this way, the photographer can confirm the transmission destination on the display or the like before transmitting the image data, and can reliably transmit the image data only to the external device owned by the person shown in the image. It is.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the fifth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, the operation of the release button in the image transmission system is divided into the release button 1 in the half-pressed state and the release button 2 in the fully-pressed state, and the image collation is performed by the image collation described above. In the case where a person who is a data transmission destination corresponds, a case will be described in which information about a person is displayed as an index on the image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display so that the person of the image transmission destination can be known when the release button 1 is turned on. . Note that the configuration of the image transmission system according to the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the image transmission systems according to the first to fourth embodiments, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 9 shows that after the captured image data is stored in the temporary storage unit 120, the image is recognized, and when the image matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance, the image data is transmitted. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image transmission system stored in the storage unit 113 of the first embodiment.

  First, in the image transmission system described in the first embodiment, when the main power of the digital camera 101 with communication function is turned on (step S501), the imaging unit 110 is activated and simultaneously displays an image captured from the CCD. The image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display is activated (step S502). Here, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button 1 (step S503). Thereby, a focusing operation for focusing on the subject is started (step S504), and at the same time, it is taken in from the CCD and temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 (step S505). If a person is reflected in the image data, the recognition unit 115 recognizes the image of the person (step S506), and searches for person information previously stored in the second storage unit 114 for verification. Is performed (step S507).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the image data is a registered image from the result of collation (step S508). If the image data corresponds to the registered image (Yes), the destination of the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display (image display unit 102). An index for confirming the person to be displayed is displayed (step S509). For example, as an example of the index, a face image of the person, a nomination, an e-mail address, and the like can be given.

  The photographer 100 confirms the transmission destination based on the index displayed on the image display unit 102, then turns on the release button 2 (step S510), and sends the destination of the image displayed on the image display unit 102. The image data is transmitted to an external device (image transmission destination) owned by the person who becomes (step S511). Then, the image data is stored in the internal memory, which is the first storage unit 113 (step S512), and this process ends.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S508 is that the captured image does not correspond to the registered image (No), the index for confirming the transmission destination is not displayed and the photographer 100 turns on the release button 2 (step S508). In step S513, the image data is stored in the internal memory, which is the first storage unit 113 (step S514), and the process ends. Note that after the image data is stored in the first storage unit 113 in steps S512 and S514, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is deleted when the main power of the digital camera 101 is turned off ( Discard). Further, when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in substantially the same manner.

  In this way, the photographer can confirm the transmission destination on the display or the like before transmitting the image data, and can reliably transmit the image data only to the external device owned by the person shown in the image. It is.

<Sixth Embodiment>
In the sixth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, the operation of the release button in the image transmission system is divided into the release button 1 in the half-pressed state and the release button 2 in the fully-pressed state. In the case where a person who is a data transmission destination corresponds, a case will be described in which information about a person is displayed as an index on the image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display so that the person of the image transmission destination can be known when the release button 1 is turned on. . The configuration of the image transmission system according to the sixth embodiment is the same as that of the image transmission systems according to the first to fifth embodiments, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 10 shows the operation of the image transmission system for recognizing the image after storing the captured image data in the temporary storage unit 120 and transmitting the image data when the image matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance. It is a flowchart for demonstrating.

  First, in the image transmission system described in the first embodiment, when the main power of the digital camera 101 with communication function is turned on (step S601), the imaging unit 110 is activated and simultaneously displays an image captured from the CCD. The image display unit 102 such as a liquid crystal display is activated (step S602). Here, the photographer 100 determines the composition of the image to be captured and turns on the release button 1 (step S603). Thereby, a focusing operation for focusing on the subject is started (step S604), and at the same time, it is taken from the CCD and temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 (step S605). If a person is reflected in the image data, the recognition unit 115 recognizes the image of the person (step S606), searches for personal information previously stored in the second storage unit 114, and collates it. Is performed (step S607).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the image data is a registered image from the result of collation (step S608). If the image data corresponds to the registered image (Yes), the destination of the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display (image display unit 102). An index for confirming the person to be displayed is displayed (step S609). For example, as an example of the index, a face image of the person, a nomination, an e-mail address, and the like can be given.

  Then, after confirming the transmission destination based on the index displayed on the image display unit 102, the photographer 100 turns on the release button 2 (step S610), and sends the destination of the image displayed on the image display unit 102. The image data is transmitted to the external device (image transmission destination) owned by the person who becomes (step S611), and this process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S608 is that the captured image does not correspond to a registered image (No), an index for confirming the transmission destination is not displayed, and the photographer 100 turns on the release button 2 (step S60). S613), this processing is terminated.

  Note that if the person in the image does not correspond, the captured image is not stored in any device, and a warning to that effect may be notified to the photographer 100. Further, when the photographer 100 uses the digital camera-equipped mobile communication terminal 103, the captured image data can be wirelessly transmitted in substantially the same manner. In the present embodiment, the image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 120 is erased (discarded) when the main power of the digital camera 101 is turned off.

  As described above, the imager can confirm the transmission destination on the display or the like before the image data transmission, and can surely wirelessly transmit it to an external device owned by the person shown in the image. Further, the image data that is no longer necessary after transmission can be automatically deleted from the device after the main power of the digital camera is turned off without keeping the image data stored.

<Other embodiments>
In the first to sixth embodiments, the recognition processing in the recognition unit 115 has been described only for image recognition. However, the sound data collected and recorded by a sound collection / recording device such as a microphone at the same time as image capture Other known recognition processes such as voice recognition for collating the voice data of the person stored in advance in the second storage unit 114 may be used. In this case, the image data is wirelessly transmitted as described above on condition that both audio data match.

  As described above, the embodiment has been described in detail. However, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like, and specifically includes a plurality of devices. The present invention may be applied to a system that is configured, or may be applied to an apparatus that includes a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the figure) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is directly or remotely supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus Is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) and the like.

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to an Internet homepage, and the computer program of the present invention itself or a compressed file including an automatic installation function is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Can also be supplied. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiments being realized by the computer executing the read program, the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program is a part of the actual processing. Alternatively, the functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by performing all of them and performing the processing.

  Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image transmission system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the image transmission using the image transmission system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the transmission path | route of the image in the structure of the image transmission system shown by FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the image transmission apparatus in the image transmission system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an image data transmission operation in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transmission operation | movement of the image data in the image transmission system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the transmission operation | movement of the image data in the image transmission system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The operation of the image transmission system for recognizing the image after storing the captured image data in the first storage unit 113 and transmitting the image data when the image matches the image stored in advance in the second storage unit 114 will be described. It is a flowchart for doing. After the captured image data is stored in the temporary storage unit 120, the image is recognized, and the image data is transmitted when the image matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance, and then the first storage unit 113. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image transmission system to be stored in To describe the operation of the image transmission system that recognizes the image after storing the captured image data in the temporary storage unit 120 and transmits the image data when the image matches the image stored in the second storage unit 114 in advance. It is a flowchart of.

Explanation of symbols

110 Imaging unit 111 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 112 Display part 113 1st memory | storage part 114 2nd memory | storage part 115 Recognition part 116,118 Wireless communication part 117 Power supply part 119 External device 120 Temporary storage part 121 Image transmission apparatus

Claims (12)

Imaging means for imaging image data of a subject;
Storage means for storing the image data in a storage device;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the image data to another device;
Storage means for storing owner information of other devices capable of wireless transmission of data by the wireless transmission means;
Collating means for collating the owner information and information on the subject in the image data;
The wireless transmission means wirelessly transmits the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information are matched from the collation result by the collation means. An image transmission system characterized by this.   The image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the image data captured by the imaging unit in an auxiliary storage device.   The image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit temporarily stores the image data captured by the imaging unit in a main storage device.   4. The image transmission system according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit stores the image data temporarily stored in the main storage device after the wireless transmission by the wireless transmission unit in the auxiliary storage device. The storage means stores the face image of the owner of the other device;
The image transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the collating unit collates the face image stored by the storing unit and the face image of the subject imaged by the imaging unit. system. Recording means for recording audio information uttered by the subject,
The storage means stores voice information of an owner of the other device;
The collation means collates the voice information recorded by the recording means with the voice information stored in the storage means;
2. The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on condition that both voice information matches from the collation result by the collation unit. 6. The image transmission system according to any one of items 1 to 5.   Information on the owner of the other device is displayed on the screen as an index indicating the wireless transmission destination by the wireless transmission means, on the condition that the owner information and the subject information match from the collation result by the collating means. The image transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising display means.   The image transmission system according to claim 7, wherein the display unit superimposes the owner information on the image data captured by the imaging unit. An image transmission method for wirelessly transmitting captured image data to another device,
A storage step of storing owner information of another device capable of wireless transmission of the image data in a storage device;
An imaging process for imaging image data of a subject;
A storage step of storing the image data in a storage device;
A collation step of collating the owner information with the information of the subject in the image data;
A wireless transmission step of wirelessly transmitting the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information are matched from the matching result in the matching step; An image transmission method comprising: To a computer that wirelessly transmits the captured image data to another device,
A storage procedure for storing owner information of another device capable of wireless transmission of the image data in a storage device;
An imaging procedure for imaging image data of a subject;
A storage procedure for storing the image data in a storage device;
A collation procedure for collating the owner information with information on the subject in the image data;
A wireless transmission procedure for wirelessly transmitting the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the information on the subject coincide with each other based on a matching result obtained by the matching procedure; A program to be executed.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 10. Imaging means for imaging image data of a subject;
Storage means for storing the image data in a storage device;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the image data to another apparatus in which transmission destination information is stored in advance;
Storage means for storing owner information of other devices capable of wireless transmission of data by the wireless transmission means;
Collating means for collating the owner information and information on the subject in the image data;
The wireless transmission means wirelessly transmits the image data stored in the storage device to the other device on the condition that the owner information and the subject information are matched from the collation result by the collation means. An image transmission device.

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