JP2007020054A - Method and device for managing image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device with which image data photographed by an imaging apparatus without having a GPS receiver are managed by photographic position information. <P>SOLUTION: The image data are managed by using the GPS receiver 101, the imaging apparatus 102, a GPS data input part 104 which inputs GPS data received by the GPS receiver 101, an image data input part 105 which inputs the image data photographed by the imaging apparatus 102, a photographic position setting part 106 which collates receiving date and time of the GPS data with photographic date and time of the image data and associates the GPS data having a receiving date and time closest to the photographic date and time of the image data with the photographic date and time of the image data and an image data base 107 associates the image data with the photographic position information and store them. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for managing image data captured by an imaging apparatus that does not have a GPS receiving apparatus, using imaging position information.

  When searching for desired image data from an image library taken in the past, shooting position information is often stored in memory compared to time information such as shooting date and time information, which is very useful as a search key. Information.

  As a conventional management method using imaging position information, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, GPS data (latitude, longitude, altitude) at the current position in an imaging apparatus equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver A method has been proposed in which GPS data is converted into place name / location data via a service server, and management data is generated in association with captured image data.

  In addition, an Exif (Exchangeable image file format) standard for storing incidental information such as shooting conditions is defined for an image shot with a digital camera, and the position where the image data is shot is recorded therein. Is possible.

Here, in order to associate the shooting position information with the image data using these methods, the imaging apparatus needs to have a built-in GPS receiver or be connectable to another GPS receiver. However, since many commonly used imaging devices such as digital cameras and video cameras are not equipped with a GPS receiver, GPS data cannot be associated with captured image data, and imaging position information is used as a key. The search cannot be performed.
JP 2003-337774 A

  The problem to be solved is that the shooting position information is not associated with the image data shot by the imaging device that does not include the GPS receiving device, so that classification / search using the shooting position information as a key cannot be performed. is there.

  The present invention uses both a photographing device capable of storing photographed image data in association with a photographing date and a GPS receiving device capable of simultaneously storing a reception date and a receiving position, collating both dates and times, and obtaining photographing position information. The main feature is to store the GPS reception position having the closest date and time in association with the image data that is not included.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to store image position information in association with image data captured by an image capturing apparatus that does not include a GPS receiver, and it is possible to classify and search using the image position information as a key. There is an advantage of becoming.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, a digital camera is used as a photographing device, and a mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as a GPS camera mobile phone) equipped with a GPS function and a camera function is used as a GPS receiving device.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an image management method of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a GPS receiver, 102 is an imaging device, and 103 is an image management device. The image management apparatus 103 includes a GPS data input unit 104 that inputs image data captured by a GPS camera mobile phone, an image data input unit 105 that inputs image data captured by a digital camera, a shooting date and time of GPS data, and an image It is configured by a shooting position setting unit 106 that collates the shooting date and time of the data and associates the GPS data with the shooting date and time closest to the shooting date and time of the image data, and an image database 107 that stores the image data and shooting position information in association with each other.

  FIG. 2 is an external view showing the configuration of the apparatus used in this embodiment. In FIG. 2, 201 is a GPS camera mobile phone, 202 is a digital camera, 203 and 204 are memory cards, and 205 is a personal computer. Image data taken by the GPS camera portable 201 and the digital camera 202 are recorded in the memory cards 203 and 204, respectively. The personal computer 205 reads image data from the memory cards 203 and 204 and performs image management. In this embodiment, the GPS receiving device 101 corresponds to the GPS camera portable device 201, the imaging device 102 corresponds to the digital camera 202, and the image management device 103 corresponds to the personal computer 205.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the imaging unit of the GPS camera mobile 201. FIG. 3 shows an image photographing unit 301 that outputs a photographed image, a GPS receiving unit 302 that receives radio waves from a satellite and detects the position of a photographing point, and generates the image data in association with the image and the photographing position. A control unit 303 and a memory 304 for storing the generated image data are provided.

  When photographing is instructed by the control unit 303, the image photographing unit 301 generates image data based on an image formed on the image sensor through the lens. At the same time, the GPS receiver 302 communicates with a GPS satellite to obtain a GPS signal (latitude and longitude) indicating the current position. The control unit 303 stores the image and shooting position information in the memory 304 in association with each other. At this time, the control unit 303 further stores the shooting date / time information in the memory 304 in association with each other. The memory 304 is a removable storage medium such as a memory card.

  The digital camera 202 is an imaging device that can be attached with a removable storage medium and can store captured image data in a storage medium together with shooting date / time information.

  The flow from shooting to image management is described below. A user brings both a digital camera and a portable GPS camera to the shooting location. The user will bring two image capturing devices, but the original purpose of carrying the GPS camera is a mobile phone, and it is assumed that he always carries it with him, so he will go out with two image capturing devices. It is not something that makes you conscious.

  FIG. 4 shows a map of a certain area. It is assumed that the user moves in order of the shooting location 1, the shooting location 2, and the shooting location 3, and has taken pictures at each shooting location. At this time, the user captures at least one image with a GPS camera carrying for each shooting location. An example of photographed image data is shown in FIG. The shooting date / time information and shooting position information are both recorded in the Exif information.

  After shooting, the user removes the storage medium from each of the digital camera and the GPS camera and attaches it to the personal computer. The GPS data input unit 104 reads the image data with GPS information captured by the GPS camera carrying unit, and simultaneously extracts the shooting date / time information and the shooting position information recorded in the Exif information. The image data input unit 105 reads the image data captured by the digital camera and simultaneously extracts the shooting date / time information recorded in the Exif information. The shooting position setting unit 106 associates each of the image data read by the image data input unit 105 with the GPS data with the closest shooting date and time among the image data with GPS information read by the GPS data input unit 104, Register in the image database 108.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the shooting position setting unit 106. First, all the image data with GPS information input by the GPS data input unit 104 are arranged in order of photographing date and time (S601). Next, one of the image data not added with the shooting position information input by the image data input unit 105 is selected (S602), and the shooting date / time of the GPS data immediately before the shooting date / time of the image data with GPS information is selected. If it is close to the shooting date and time of the image data with information, the GPS data of the image data with GPS information immediately before is added (S604). On the contrary, if it is close to the shooting date and time of the image data with GPS information immediately after, the GPS data of the image data with GPS information immediately after is added (S605). The above processing is repeated until GPS information is added to all image data.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which shooting position information is added to image data of a digital camera by the method described above. When the shooting position information is actually added to the image data of FIG. 5, the result shown in FIG. 8 is obtained.

  Although a method of adding GPS data having the closest date and time is described here as an embodiment of the present invention, the shooting position setting unit 106 may always be a method of adding GPS data immediately before or immediately after.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the image management apparatus 103 may be included in the GPS reception apparatus 101 or the imaging apparatus 102. Moreover, although the example which stores the imaging | photography date information linked | related with image data and imaging | photography position information in Exif information was demonstrated, you may store in the position different from image data.

  By using the image management method and apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to manage image data captured by an imaging apparatus that does not include a GPS receiving apparatus, using imaging position information.

The block diagram which shows the Example of the image management method of this invention External view showing the configuration of the apparatus used in this example The block diagram which shows the imaging part of the GPS camera carrying of FIG. The figure which imitated the map of the shooting location in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which shows the example of the image data image | photographed in each imaging | photography place of FIG. Flowchart of the shooting position setting unit in FIG. The figure which shows the example which adds imaging | photography position information with respect to the image data of a digital camera The figure which shows the result where position information was added to the image data of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 GPS receiver 102 Imaging device 103 Image management apparatus 104 GPS data input part 105 Image data input part 106 Shooting date collation part 107 Shooting position setting part 108 Image database 201 GPS camera carrying 202 Digital camera 203 Memory card 204 Memory card 205 Personal computer 301 Image Shooting Unit 302 GPS Reception Unit 303 Control Unit 304 Memory

Claims (6)

An image data input step for inputting the image data stored in association with the imaged date and time, and a GPS data input step for inputting the GPS data stored by the GPS receiving means capable of storing the reception date and reception position; An image management method comprising: a shooting position setting step of collating a shooting date / time of image data and a receiving date / time of GPS data, and associating and storing GPS data having the closest date / time to the image data. The shooting position setting step is similar to the GPS data alignment step of arranging all input GPS data in the order of reception date and time, and the date and time of the GPS data received immediately before or immediately after the image data shot at a certain date and time is close. An image management method comprising a photographing date collation step for associating GPS data of the other. The GPS receiving unit includes an image data imaging unit, and the GPS data includes a reception date and time, a reception position, and image data acquired in conjunction with a user's imaging operation of the GPS reception unit. 2. The image management method according to 1. An image management apparatus that manages images by the image management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A program for executing the image management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A medium on which the program according to claim 5 is recorded.

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