JP2017059953A - Image distribution system, and server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of transmitting desired moving image data from a server to a client device and reducing communication traffic volume between the server and the client device.SOLUTION: In an image distribution system, a server includes: storage means capable of storing first moving image data and second moving image data; first transmission means for transmitting the second moving image data to a client device; first reception means for receiving scene information from the client device; extraction means for extracting the moving image data of a scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data; and second transmission means for transmitting the extracted moving image data to the client device. The client device includes: second reception means for receiving the second moving image data from the server; generation means for generating scene information on the basis of the second moving image data; third transmission means for transmitting the scene information to the server; and third reception means for receiving the extracted moving image data from the server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image distribution system and a server.

  There is a communication system in which data is stored in a storage unit of a server that can be accessed by a plurality of client devices, and each client device accesses a server and acquires data from the storage unit of the server as necessary. According to such a communication system, a plurality of devices can refer to the same data (data stored in the server). A number of conventional techniques relating to such communication systems have been proposed.

  However, the data size of data transmitted from the server to the client device is increasing due to the spread of the Internet, an increase in storage capacity, an increase in the amount of multimedia data, and the like. For example, with an increase in resolution of a digital camera, the data size of image data generated by shooting is increasing. An increase in the amount of communication between the server and the client device is not preferable because it causes a limitation in communication speed, an increase in communication fee, and the like.

  In the client device, only some scenes of moving image data (stored moving image data) stored in the server may be required. However, in the conventional technology, even if the client device needs only a part of the scenes of the stored moving image data, the moving image data including unnecessary scenes is transmitted from the server to the client device. For example, even if the client device needs only a part of the stored moving image data, the entire stored moving image data or the moving image data from the first frame of the stored moving image data to the last frame of the required scene is transferred from the server to the client device. Sent to. Transmission of such an unnecessary scene causes an increase in the amount of communication.

  Moreover, there exists a technique disclosed by patent document 1 as a technique regarding the communication system mentioned above. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the server performs data compression processing on the moving image data so that the moving image data is transmitted at the same speed as the moving image data reproduction speed based on the communication speed between the server and the client device. Applied. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the amount of communication can be reduced by data compression processing. However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if the client device requires high-quality moving image data, there is a possibility that low-quality moving image data is transmitted from the server to the client device. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, data compression processing is performed when moving image data is transmitted. Therefore, when moving image data is transmitted from the server to a plurality of client devices at the same time, data compression processing is performed individually for each client device. And there exists a possibility that transmission of the moving image data from a server to a several client apparatus may be delayed by several data compression processes.

JP 2005-117084 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of transmitting desired moving image data from a server to a client device and reducing the amount of communication between the server and the client device.

The first aspect of the present invention is:
An image distribution system having a server and a client device,
The server
Storage means capable of storing first moving image data and second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
First transmission means for transmitting the second moving image data to the client device;
First receiving means for receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
First extraction means for extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
Second transmitting means for transmitting extracted moving image data, which is moving image data extracted by the first extracting means, to the client device;
Have
The client device is
Second receiving means for receiving the second moving image data from the server;
First generation means for generating the scene information based on the second moving image data;
Third transmission means for transmitting the scene information to the server;
Third receiving means for receiving the extracted video data from the server;
It is an image delivery system characterized by having.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
A server connectable to a client device,
Storage means capable of storing first moving image data and second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
First transmission means for transmitting the second moving image data to the client device;
Receiving means for receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
Extraction means for extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
Second transmission means for transmitting extracted moving image data, which is moving image data extracted by the extracting means, to the client device;
It is a server characterized by having.

The third aspect of the present invention is:
A control method of an image distribution system having a server and a client device,
A first transmission step in which the server transmits second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data to the client device;
A first receiving step in which the client device receives the second moving image data from the server;
A generating step in which the client device generates scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data based on the second moving image data;
A second transmission step in which the client device transmits the scene information to the server;
A second receiving step in which the server receives the scene information from the client device;
An extraction step in which the server extracts the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
A third transmission step in which the server transmits extracted moving image data, which is the moving image data extracted in the extraction step, to the client device;
A third receiving step in which the client device receives the extracted moving image data from the server;
It is the control method characterized by having.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is:
A method of controlling a server connectable to a client device,
A first transmission step of transmitting to the client device second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
A reception step of receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
Extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
A second transmission step of transmitting the extracted moving image data, which is the moving image data extracted by the extraction step, to the client device;
It is the control method characterized by having.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute each step of the control method described above.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, desired moving image data can be transmitted to a client apparatus from a server, and the communication amount between a server and a client apparatus can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image distribution system according to the present embodiment A flow chart showing an example of a processing flow of the moving image generation processing according to the present embodiment The figure which shows an example of the image management table which concerns on this embodiment. Flow chart showing an example of the processing flow of the image distribution system according to the present embodiment FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of S401 in FIG. The figure which shows an example of GUI which concerns on this embodiment The figure which shows an example of the extraction request | requirement which concerns on this embodiment FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of S404 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of S803. The figure which shows an example of the processing flow of S901 of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image distribution system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image distribution system according to the present embodiment includes a camera (image generation apparatus) 100, a server 110, and a client apparatus 120 that can be connected to each other. As the server 110 and the client device 120, for example, a personal computer (PC) can be used. Note that the image generation apparatus is not limited to the camera 100. The image generation device may be any device that can generate image data. For example, a PC may be used as the image generation device. The camera 100 and the server 110 are connected to each other, and the server 110 and the client device are connected to each other.

The camera 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 105, a memory 104, a network board 106, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor 108. The CPU 105 controls the processing of the camera 100 by executing a program recorded in the memory 104. The network board 106 is used for communication between the camera 100 and the server 110. For example, the CPU 105 uses the network board 106 to communicate with the server 110 via the Internet. The CCD image sensor 108 generates image data (photographed image data) by photographing. Specifically, the CCD image sensor 108 generates photographed image data by converting light into an electrical signal. The memory 104 stores a program necessary for the processing of the CPU 105. The memory 104 is used as a work memory for the camera 100 and stores captured image data.

  The server 110 includes a CPU 115, a network board 116, a memory 114, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 117. The CPU 115 controls the processing of the server 110 by executing a program recorded in the HDD 117. The HDD 117 stores a program necessary for the processing of the CPU 115. The HDD 117 can store data other than programs. The memory 114 is used as a working memory for the server 110. The network board 116 is used for communication between the camera 100 and the server 110 and communication between the client device 120 and the server 110. For example, the CPU 115 uses the network board 116 to perform communication with the camera 100 via the Internet and communication with the client device 120 via the Internet.

  The client device 120 includes a CPU 125, a network board 126, a memory 124, an HDD 127, a display unit 121, a mouse 122, and a keyboard 123. The CPU 125 controls processing of the client device 120 by executing a program recorded in the HDD 127. The HDD 127 stores a program necessary for the processing of the CPU 125. The HDD 127 can store data other than programs. The memory 124 is used as a working memory for the client device 120. The network board 126 is used for communication between the client device 120 and the server 110. For example, the CPU 125 uses the network board 126 to communicate with the server 110 via the Internet. The display unit 121 displays the processing result of the CPU 125. As the display unit 121, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL display panel, a plasma display panel, or the like can be used. The mouse 122 and the keyboard 123 are operation units that accept user operations on the client device 120. For example, the mouse 122 and the keyboard 123 accept user operations for inputting various information used in the program of the client device 120 to the client device 120. Note that at least one of the display unit 121, the mouse 122, and the keyboard 123 may or may not be detachable from the client device 120. The functional unit that can be attached to and detached from the client device 120 can be said to be a part of the client device 120 or a device separate from the client device 120.

  In FIG. 1, specific hardware is shown as functional units of the camera 100, the server 110, and the client device 120, but if the processing described below is performed, the configuration of the functional units Is not particularly limited. For example, a storage unit other than the memory and the HDD may be used. Specifically, an optical disk may be used as the storage unit. An operation unit other than a mouse or a keyboard may be used. Specifically, a touch panel may be used as the operation unit.

In the present embodiment, first moving image data and second moving image data are used as image data (captured image data). The second moving image data is moving image data that is smaller in data size than the first moving image data and represents the same moving image as the first moving image data. The memory 104 of the camera 100, the HDD 117 of the server 110, and the HDD 127 of the client device 120 can store first moving image data and second moving image data. In the present embodiment, RAW moving image data (RAW moving image data) that is an electrical signal generated by the CCD image sensor 108 of the camera 100 is used as the first moving image data. Then, MP4 moving image data (MP4 format moving image data) generated by performing data compression processing on the RAW moving image data is used as the second moving image data. The data compression process can be said to be a format conversion process for converting the format of moving image data from the RAW format to the MP4 format.

  The format of the first moving image data and the second moving image data is not particularly limited. The moving image data generated by applying the first data compression processing to the RAW moving image data is used as the first moving image data, and the moving image data generated by applying the second data compression processing to the RAW moving image data is the second moving image data. It may be used as moving image data.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 105 of the camera 100 generates MP4 moving image data from RAW moving image data. Note that the MP4 moving image data may be generated by the CPU 115 of the server 110. A processing flow of processing for generating RAW moving image data and MP4 moving image data (second generation processing; moving image generation processing) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing flow shown in FIG. 2 is triggered by the fact that the camera 100 has taken a picture. First, in S <b> 201, the CCD image sensor 108 converts light into an electrical signal, and records the RAW moving image data, which is the obtained electrical signal, in the memory 104. Next, in S202, the CPU 105 reads out the RAW moving image data recorded in the memory 104 in S201 from the memory 104, and converts the read RAW moving image data into MP4 moving image data using a program recorded in the memory 104. . Then, the CPU 105 records the obtained MP4 moving image data in the memory 104. Thereafter, in S <b> 203, the CPU 105 adds information regarding the RAW moving image data generated in S <b> 201 and the MP4 moving image data generated in S <b> 202 to the image management table recorded in the memory 104. Then, the processing flow of FIG. 2 is terminated.

  An example of an image management table (camera management table) used in the camera 100 is shown in FIG. In the camera management table, an image ID that is an identifier indicating a combination is associated with a combination of RAW moving image data and MP4 moving image data. If the same image ID is not associated with a plurality of combinations, the image ID may be determined by any method. For example, a number indicating the shooting order may be used as the image ID. In the camera management table, the file name of the RAW moving image data, the frame rate of the RAW moving image data, and the RAW moving image data storage folder (the folder in which the RAW moving image data is stored in the memory 104) are stored for the RAW moving image data. Associated. In the camera management table, the MP4 video data file name, the MP4 video data frame rate, and the MP4 video data storage folder are associated with the MP4 video data. Here, the “MP4 moving image data storage folder” is a folder in which the MP4 moving image data is stored in the memory 104. In the image management table, “-” means that there is no corresponding data.

  Next, an example of the processing flow of the image distribution system according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. Prior to the start of the processing flow in FIG. 4, the RAW moving image data and the MP4 moving image data are transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110 by the CPU 105 of the camera 100 using the network board 106 (fourth transmission processing). In the server 110, the RAW moving image data and the MP4 moving image data are received from the camera 100 by the CPU 115 using the network board 116 (fourth receiving process). Then, the received RAW moving image data and MP4 moving image data are recorded on the HDD 117 by the CPU 115. Only MP4 moving image data may be recorded on the HDD 117. At this timing, the RAW moving image data may not be transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110.

  First, in S401, the CPU 115 of the server 110 transmits the MP4 moving image data to the client device 120 using the network board 116 (first transmission process). Then, the CPU 125 of the client device 120 receives the MP4 moving image data from the server 110 using the network board 126 (second reception process). The processing flow of S401 will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S <b> 501, the CPU 115 refers to an image management table (client management table) recorded in the HDD 127 of the client apparatus 120 using the network board 116. An example of the client management table is shown in FIG. The client management table has the same configuration as the camera management table. However, the client management table indicates a folder in the HDD 127 as a storage folder. In the client management table of FIG. 3A, only the MP4 moving image data with the image ID “103” and the RAW moving image data with the image ID “103” are shown. From this client management table, it can be seen that only the MP4 moving image data with the image ID “103” and the RAW moving image data with the image ID “103” are recorded in the client device 120.

  In step S <b> 502, the CPU 115 detects unrecorded MP4 moving image data that is MP4 moving image data recorded in the server 110 and not recorded in the client device 120. Unrecorded MP4 moving image data is detected by comparing the image management table (server management table) recorded in the HDD 117 of the server 110 with the client management table. An example of the server management table is shown in FIG. The server management table has the same configuration as the camera management table and the client management table. However, the server management table indicates a folder in the HDD 117 as a storage folder. When the client management table in FIG. 3A and the server management table in FIG. 3B are compared, as unrecorded MP4 moving image data, the MP4 moving image data with the image ID “101” and the image ID “ 102 "MP4 moving image data is detected.

  In step S503, the CPU 115 switches subsequent processing according to the detection result in step S502. Specifically, when unrecorded MP4 moving image data is not detected, transmission of the MP4 moving image data from the server 110 to the client device 120 is omitted, and the processing flow of FIG. 5 is ended. If unrecorded MP4 moving image data is detected, the process proceeds to S504.

  In step S <b> 504, the CPU 115 transmits the unrecorded MP4 moving image data and the image ID of the unrecorded MP4 moving image data to the client device 120 using the network board 116. Then, the CPU 125 receives the unrecorded MP4 moving image data and the image ID of the unrecorded MP4 moving image data from the server 110 using the network board 126.

  In step S505, the CPU 125 records the received unrecorded MP4 moving image data in the HDD 127, and adds information about the received unrecorded MP4 moving image data to the client management table. Thereafter, the processing flow of FIG. 5 is terminated.

  The CPU 125 of the client device 120 performs display control to display a confirmation screen (dialog) as shown in FIG. 6A on the display unit 121, and allows the user to select whether or not to receive MP4 video data. Also good. Further, the MP4 moving image data transmitted and received in S401 is not particularly limited. All unrecorded MP4 moving image data may be transmitted / received, or unrecorded moving image data selected from a plurality of unrecorded MP4 moving image data may be transmitted / received. The MP4 moving image data stored in the client device 120 may be transmitted / received again.

  Returning to the description of FIG. When the process of S401 (transmission / reception of MP4 moving image data) is completed, the process of S402 is performed. In S402, the CPU 125 of the client device 120 plays a moving image (MP4 moving image) based on the received MP4 moving image data. That is, the CPU 125 performs display control for displaying the MP4 moving image on the display unit 121. The reproduction of the MP4 moving image is performed using a GUI (application GUI) as shown in FIG. When a plurality of MP4 moving image data is received, one of the plurality of MP4 moving image data is selected, and an MP4 moving image based on the selected MP4 moving image data is reproduced. In FIG. 6B, an image display area 601 is an area where a reproduced MP4 moving image is displayed.

  When the reproduction of the MP4 moving image is started, the process of S403 is performed. In S403, the CPU 125 generates scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the MP4 moving image data based on the MP4 moving image data to be reproduced (first generation process). Specifically, the CPU 125 generates scene information according to the scene selection operation. The scene selection operation is a user operation in which the user selects at least a part of the MP4 moving image while confirming the reproduced MP4 moving image. The scene selection operation is performed using a GUI as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the client apparatus 120 transmits scene information (third transmission process), and the server 110 receives scene information (first reception process). Specifically, the CPU 125 transmits a cut-out request including scene information to the server 110 using the network board 126. Then, the CPU 115 receives a cut-out request from the client device 120 using the network board 116.

  Note that the method of generating scene information is not particularly limited as long as the method uses MP4 moving image data. For example, a scene whose image motion is greater than or equal to a threshold value may be detected from MP4 moving image data, and scene information indicating the detected scene may be generated. Further, a scene whose volume is equal to or higher than a threshold value may be detected from the MP4 moving image data, and scene information indicating the detected scene may be generated. According to these methods, it is possible to automatically generate scene information indicating a scene that is expected to be excited without requiring a user operation.

  In FIG. 6B, a playback button 602 is a button operated by the user to start MP4 video playback, and a pause button 603 is a button operated by the user to pause MP4 video playback. The seek bar 604 indicates the entire period of the MP4 moving image, and the slider 606 indicates the current playback position (the time position of the frame being played back). The user can change the playback position by operating the slider 606 using the mouse 122.

  The cut-out request described above is a request for transmission of moving image data or still image data. The radio button 608 is a radio button selected by the user to request the server 110 to transmit moving image data, and the radio button 609 is a radio button selected by the user to request the server 110 to transmit still image data. It is. The radio button 608 and the radio button 609 can be selected exclusively. That is, the user can select only one of the radio button 608 and the radio button 609, and cannot select both the radio button 608 and the radio button 609.

When the moving image radio button 608 is selected, the start point designation button 610 and the end point designation button 612 can be operated. On the other hand, the still image scene designation button 614 cannot be operated. The start point designation button 610 is a button operated by the user to determine the start point of the scene, and the end point designation button 612 is a button operated by the user to determine the end point of the scene. When the start point designation button 610 is pressed, the start point marker 605 is arranged at the position of the slider 606 at the timing when the start point specification button 610 is pressed. A start point marker 605 indicates the start point of the scene. When the end point designation button 612 is pressed, the end point designation button 612 is displayed.
An end point marker 607 is arranged at the position of the slider 606 at the timing when is pressed. An end point marker 607 indicates the end point of the scene. When the start point marker 605 and the end point marker 607 are arranged on the seek bar 604, the cutout reproduction button 613 can be operated. The cutout reproduction button 613 is a button operated by the user in order to start reproduction of the MP4 moving image of only the scene indicated by the start point marker 605 and the end point marker 607. When the cutout reproduction button 613 is pressed, an MP4 moving image from the start point frame indicated by the start point marker 605 to the end point frame indicated by the end point marker 607 is displayed in the image display area 601.

  When the still image radio button 609 is selected, the still image scene designation button 614 becomes operable. On the other hand, the start point designation button 610 and the end point designation button 612 are not operable. In addition, the cut-out playback button 613 cannot be operated. The still image scene designation button 614 is a button operated by the user to determine a frame that is the start point of the scene and the end point of the scene. When the still image scene designation button 614 is pressed, a frame marker is arranged at the position of the slider 606 at the timing when the still image scene designation button 614 is pressed. The frame marker indicates a frame that is the start point of the scene and the end point of the scene.

  The request button 616 is a button operated by the user in order to transmit a cut-out request to the server 110. When the request button 616 is pressed while the still image radio button 609 is selected, scene information indicating the frame indicated by the frame marker is generated. Then, a cutout request including the generated scene information is transmitted from the client device 120 to the server 110. When the request button 616 is pressed while the moving image radio button 608 is selected, scene information indicating a scene from the start point frame indicated by the start point marker 605 to the end point frame indicated by the end point marker 607. Is generated. Then, a cutout request including the generated scene information is transmitted from the client device 120 to the server 110. A cancel button 615 is a button operated by the user in order to cancel the transmission of the cutout request. When the cancel button 615 is pressed, all scene designations and the like are ignored, the cut-out request is not transmitted to the server 110, and the application is terminated.

  An example of the extraction request transmitted from the client device 120 to the server 110 is illustrated in FIG. In the example of FIG. 7A, the cutout request includes a start frame number, an end frame number, an image ID, and a format designation. For example, a combination of a start frame number and an end frame number is scene information. The start frame number is a number indicating the start frame of the scene, and the end frame number is a number indicating the end frame of the scene. When the request button 616 is pressed while the moving image radio button 608 is selected, the start frame number indicated by the start point marker 605 is set as the start frame number. Then, the end frame number indicated by the end point marker 607 is set as the end frame number. When the request button 616 is pressed while the still image radio button 609 is selected, the frame numbers indicated by the frame markers are set as the start frame number and the end frame number. The image ID included in the cutout request is the image ID of the MP4 moving image data used to generate the cutout request (scene information). The format designation is format information indicating the format of image data requested from the server. The format designation is also generated based on the MP4 moving image data, similarly to the scene information. Note that the format specification (format information) may not be included in the cut-out request. The format designation may not be transmitted / received. At least one of the format designation, the scene information, and the image ID may be transmitted / received separately from the extraction request.

  Returning to the description of FIG. When the process of S403 (transmission / reception of cutout request) is completed, the process of S404 is performed. In S404, a cut-out process is performed to cut out (extract) the moving image data of the scene indicated by the cut-out request (scene information) from the RAW moving image data. The processing flow of the clipping process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in S801, the CPU 115 of the server 110 determines corresponding RAW moving image data that is RAW moving image data corresponding to the received cut-out request. Specifically, the CPU 115 determines that the RAW moving image data associated with the same image ID as the image ID included in the cutout request is the corresponding RAW moving image data.

  Next, in S802, the CPU 115 determines whether or not the server 110 stores the corresponding RAW moving image data. Specifically, the CPU 115 determines whether or not the corresponding RAW moving image data information is described in the server management table. If the corresponding RAW moving image data information is described in the server management table, it is determined that the server 110 stores the corresponding RAW moving image data, and the process proceeds to S803. When the information of the corresponding RAW moving image data is not described in the server management table, it is determined that the corresponding RAW moving image data is not stored in the server 110, and the process proceeds to S804.

  For example, when the server management table is the server management table of FIG. 3B and the image ID included in the cutout request is “101”, the corresponding RAW video data is stored in the server 110. The determination is made, and the process proceeds to S803. When the server management table is the server management table of FIG. 3B and the image ID included in the cutout request is “102”, it is determined that the corresponding RAW moving image data is not stored in the server 110. , The process proceeds to S804.

  Note that, when the corresponding RAW moving image data is not stored in the server 110, error information regarding the absence of the corresponding RAW moving image data may be transmitted from the server 110 to the client device 120. Then, the CPU 125 of the client device 120 may notify the user that “corresponding RAW moving image data does not exist”, “a clipping request is not accepted”, and the like. In this case, the camera 100 is not necessary in the image distribution system. Notification to the user can be realized by image display, audio output, lamp lighting, and the like.

  In step S803, the CPU 115 performs a cutout process (first cutout process; first extraction process) for cutting out the moving image data of the scene indicated by the cutout request from the corresponding RAW moving image data. The process flow of the first cutout process will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in S901, the CPU 115 detects a scene (corresponding scene) corresponding to the scene indicated by the extraction request from the corresponding RAW moving image data. The frame rate of MP4 moving image data does not necessarily match the frame rate of RAW moving image data. For example, the usage of MP4 video data may be different from the usage of RAW video data. Specifically, the MP4 video data may be video data for distribution or simple browsing, whereas the RAW video data may not. Therefore, the frame rate of MP4 moving image data may be different from the frame rate of RAW moving image data. For this reason, the process of S901 is necessary. The processing flow of S901 will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG.

First, in S1001, the CPU 115 acquires a start frame number and an end frame number from the cutout request. Next, in S1002, the CPU 115 determines the frame rate of the MP4 moving image data corresponding to the image ID included in the cutout request and the frame rate of the RAW moving image data corresponding to the image ID included in the cutout request to the server. Get from the management table. Then, the CPU 115 calculates the ratio between the two acquired frame rates. After that, in S1003, the CPU 115 converts the start frame number and the end frame number into a frame number indicating a frame of the RAW moving image data based on the ratio calculated in S1002. The processing of S1002 and S1003 is expressed by the following formula 1, for example. In Equation 1, “RAW number” is a frame number of RAW moving image data, and “MP4 number” is a frame number of MP4 moving image data. “RAW rate” is a frame rate of RAW moving image data, and “MP4 rate” is a frame rate of MP4 moving image data. “INT (X)” is a function for truncating the decimal part of X. When the cutout request (start frame number and end frame number) in FIG. 7A is corrected using Expression 1, the cutout request shown in FIG. 7B is obtained as the cutout request after correction. Then, the processing flow of FIG. 10 is terminated.

RAW number = MP4 number × INT ((RAW rate / MP4 rate) +0.5)
... (Formula 1)

  According to the processing flow of FIG. 10, the frame of the RAW moving image data whose time position is closest to the time position of the start point of the scene indicated by the scene information is detected as the start point of the corresponding scene. Then, the frame of the RAW moving image data whose time position is closest to the time position of the end point of the scene indicated by the scene information is detected as the end point of the corresponding scene. When the scene information indicates one frame of the MP4 moving image data, the frame of the RAW moving image data whose time position is closest to the time position of the frame indicated by the scene information is detected as a corresponding scene (corresponding frame). The corresponding scene detection method is not particularly limited. For example, among a plurality of frames whose time position is earlier than the time position of the scene start point indicated by the scene information, the frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the scene start point indicated by the scene information is the start point of the corresponding scene. It may be detected. Of the multiple frames whose time position is later than the time position of the end point of the scene indicated by the scene information, the frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the end point of the scene indicated by the scene information is detected as the start point of the corresponding scene. May be.

  Returning to the description of FIG. Following S901, in S902, the CPU 115 cuts out the moving image data of the corresponding scene from the corresponding RAW moving image data. When the corresponding scene is a scene of a plurality of frames, moving image data representing the plurality of frames in order is cut out. When the corresponding scene is a scene of one frame, still image data representing the one frame is cut out. Hereinafter, the moving image data cut out by the processing of S902 is referred to as “first extracted moving image data”.

  In step S903, the CPU 115 determines whether format designation is included in the received cut-out request. When the format specification is included in the extraction request, the process proceeds to S904, and when the format specification is not included in the extraction request, the process proceeds to S905.

In S904, the CPU 115 converts the format of the first extracted moving image data into a format indicated by the format designation, thereby generating first converted moving image data that is converted moving image data (first conversion process). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S905. For example, when the cut-out request in FIG. 7C is received, the cut-out request is corrected by the same method (method using Expression 1) as that when the cut-out request in FIG. 7A is received. As a result, the cutout request in FIG. 7D is obtained as the cutout request after correction. Next, the movie of the corresponding scene indicated by the cutout request in FIG. 7D (the scene from the start frame number indicated by the cutout request in FIG. 7D to the end frame number indicated by the cutout request in FIG. 7D). Data is extracted from the corresponding RAW moving image data. And the format of the clipped video data is R
Conversion from AW format to MP4 format. Note that the processing of S903 and S904 may be omitted.

  In S905, the CPU 115 transmits the moving image data to the client device 120 using the network board 116 (second transmission process). Then, the CPU 125 of the client device 120 receives the moving image data from the server 110 using the network board 126 (third reception process). When the cutout request does not include the format designation, the first extracted video data is transmitted / received. When the cutout request contains the format designation, the first converted video data is used instead of the first extracted video data. Are sent and received. Thereafter, the processing flow of FIG. 9 is terminated. That is, the process of S803 in FIG. 8 is completed. Then, the processing flow of FIG. 8 is terminated.

  Returning to the description of FIG. In S804, the CPU 115 uses the network board 116 to transmit a transmission request instructing transmission of the corresponding RAW moving image data to the camera 100 (fifth transmission process). Then, the CPU 105 of the camera 100 receives a transmission request from the server 110 using the network board 106 (fifth reception process). In the present embodiment, transmission / reception of a cut-out request before correction is performed as transmission / reception of a transmission request.

  Next, in S805, the CPU 105 determines corresponding RAW moving image data. The method for determining the corresponding RAW moving image data is the same as S801. In step S806, the CPU 105 determines whether or not the camera 100 stores the corresponding RAW moving image data. Specifically, the CPU 105 determines whether or not the information about the corresponding RAW moving image data is described in the camera management table. If the information about the corresponding RAW moving image data is described in the camera management table, it is determined that the camera 100 stores the corresponding RAW moving image data, and the process proceeds to S807. If the information of the corresponding RAW moving image data is not described in the camera management table, it is determined that the corresponding RAW moving image data is not stored in the camera 100, and the process proceeds to S808.

  For example, when the camera management table is the camera management table in FIG. 3C and the image ID included in the transmission request (cutout request) is “102”, the camera 100 stores the corresponding RAW video data. The process proceeds to S807. If the camera management table is the camera management table of FIG. 3C and the image ID included in the transmission request is “103”, it is determined that the corresponding RAW video data is not stored in the camera 100. , The process proceeds to S808.

  In step S <b> 807, the CPU 105 performs a cutout process (second cutout process; second extraction process) for cutting out the moving image data of the scene indicated by the transmission request (cutout request) from the corresponding RAW moving image data. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S809. The method of the second cutout process is the same as the method of the first cutout process. By the processing of S808, the moving image data of the corresponding scene is cut out from the corresponding RAW moving image data. Hereinafter, the moving image data cut out by the processing of S808 is referred to as “second extracted moving image data”. If the format designation is included in the transmission request, the second converted video data is generated by converting the format of the second extracted video data into the format indicated by the format designation in S808 (first format). 2 conversion processing). If the format specification is not included in the transmission request, the second extracted moving image data is transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110 in S808. When the format specification is included in the transmission request, the second converted moving image data is transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110.

In step S <b> 808, the CPU 105 transmits error information regarding the absence of corresponding RAW moving image data to the server 110 using the network board 106. Then, the CPU 115 of the server 110 receives error information from the camera 100 using the network board 116. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S809.

  In S809, the CPU 115 of the server 110 transmits the data (second extracted moving image data, second converted moving image data, or error information) received by the processing in S807 or S808 to the client device 120 using the network board 106. To do. Then, the CPU 125 of the client device 120 receives the data from the server 110 using the network board 126. Thereafter, the processing flow of FIG. 8 is terminated.

  Note that the second extracted moving image data may be transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110 regardless of whether or not the format specification is included in the transmission request. Then, the server 110 may generate the second converted moving image data. Further, the entire corresponding RAW moving image data may be transmitted from the camera 100 to the server 110. Then, the server 110 may perform the extraction of the second extracted moving image data and the generation of the second extracted moving image data.

  Returning to the description of FIG. Following S404 (processing flow in FIG. 8), in S405, the CPU 125 of the client apparatus 120 performs processing based on the received data. Then, the processing flow of FIG. 4 is terminated. When the error information is transmitted from the server 110 to the client device 120, the CPU 125 notifies the user that “corresponding RAW moving image data does not exist”, “a clipping request is not accepted”, and the like. When the moving image data is transmitted from the server 110 to the client device 120, the CPU 125 records the received moving image data in the HDD 127 or reproduces a moving image based on the received moving image data. Here, the moving image data transmitted from the server 110 to the client device 120 is first extracted moving image data, first converted moving image data, second extracted moving image data, or second converted moving image data. A moving image based on the received moving image data may be reproduced in the image display area 601 in FIG. 6B or may be reproduced using another application.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the second moving image data having a small data size is transmitted from the server to the client device, and the client device determines a scene (desired scene) based on the second moving image data. The Then, scene information indicating the determined scene is transmitted from the client device to the server, and the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information is extracted from the first moving image data having a large data size. Thereafter, the extracted moving image data is transmitted from the server to the client device. Thereby, desired moving image data (moving image data of a desired scene) can be transmitted from the server to the client device. Further, by limiting the second moving image data transmitted from the server to the client device to the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information, it is possible to reduce the amount of communication between the server and the client device. In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the second moving image data is prepared in advance, transmission of the second moving image data from the server to the client device will not be delayed.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. For example, in this embodiment, an example using captured image data has been described, but the moving image data to be processed is not limited to captured image data. For example, the moving image data to be processed may be computer graphics moving image data or animation moving image data.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

110: Server 115, 125: CPU 116, 126: Network board 117: HDD 120: Client device

Claims (15)

An image distribution system having a server and a client device,
The server
Storage means capable of storing first moving image data and second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
First transmission means for transmitting the second moving image data to the client device;
First receiving means for receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
First extraction means for extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
Second transmitting means for transmitting extracted moving image data, which is moving image data extracted by the first extracting means, to the client device;
Have
The client device is
Second receiving means for receiving the second moving image data from the server;
First generation means for generating the scene information based on the second moving image data;
Third transmission means for transmitting the scene information to the server;
Third receiving means for receiving the extracted video data from the server;
An image distribution system comprising: The client device further includes display control means for performing display control for displaying a moving image based on the second moving image data on a display unit,
The first generation unit generates the scene information in response to a user operation for selecting at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data while the user confirms the moving image based on the second moving image data. The image distribution system according to claim 1. The first generation means further generates format information indicating the format of the moving image data based on the second moving image data,
The third transmission means further transmits the format information;
The first receiving means further receives the format information;
The server, when the format information is received by the first receiving means, a first converting means for converting the format of the moving picture data extracted from the first moving picture data into a format indicated by the format information; Further comprising
When the format information is received by the first receiving unit, the second transmitting unit replaces the moving image data extracted from the first moving image data with the moving image data converted by the first converting unit. The image delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the image delivery system transmits the image to the client device. The first extracting means extracts moving image data from a frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the start point of the scene indicated by the scene information to a frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the end point of the scene indicated by the scene information. The image distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the image distribution system is extracted from the first moving image data. When the scene information indicates one frame of the second moving image data,
The first extraction unit extracts still image data of one frame corresponding to the one frame indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data. The image delivery system according to item. The image distribution system further includes an image generation device,
The image generation device includes:
Second generating means for generating the first moving image data and the second moving image data;
Fourth transmission means for transmitting the first moving image data and the second moving image data to the server;
Have
The image according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the server further includes a fourth receiving unit that receives the first moving image data and the second moving image data from the image generation device. Distribution system. The server sends a transmission request for instructing transmission of the first moving image data when the storage means does not store the first moving image data when the first receiving unit receives the scene information. A fifth transmission means for transmitting to the image generation device;
The image generation apparatus further includes a fifth receiving unit that receives the transmission request from the server,
The image delivery system according to claim 6, wherein the fourth transmission unit transmits the first moving image data to the server in response to the fifth reception unit receiving the transmission request. The transmission request includes the scene information,
The image generation device further includes second extraction means for extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data,
The fourth transmission unit transmits the moving image data extracted by the second extraction unit to the server in response to the fifth reception unit receiving the transmission request,
The second transmitting unit transmits the moving image data transmitted from the fourth transmitting unit to the client device instead of the extracted moving image data in response to the fifth receiving unit receiving the transmission request. The image delivery system according to claim 7, wherein: The first generation means further generates format information indicating the format of the moving image data based on the second moving image data,
The third transmission means further transmits the format information;
The first receiving means further receives the format information;
When the format information is received by the first receiving means, the transmission request includes the format information,
The image generation device, when the format information is included in the transmission request, a second conversion unit that converts the format of the moving image data extracted by the second extraction unit into a format indicated by the format information Further comprising
In the case where the format information is included in the transmission request, the fourth transmission unit receives the moving image data after the conversion by the second conversion unit in response to the fifth reception unit receiving the transmission request. 9. The image distribution system according to claim 8, wherein, instead of the moving image data extracted by the second extraction unit, the image distribution system is transmitted to the server. The second extraction means extracts moving image data from a frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the start point of the scene indicated by the scene information to a frame whose time position is closest to the time position of the end point of the scene indicated by the scene information. The image distribution system according to claim 8, wherein the image distribution system is extracted from the first moving image data. When the scene information indicates one frame of the second moving image data,
The second extraction means extracts one frame corresponding to the one frame indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data,
The fourth transmission unit transmits the still image data representing one frame extracted by the second extraction unit to the server in response to the fifth reception unit receiving the transmission request. The image delivery system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that A server connectable to a client device,
Storage means capable of storing first moving image data and second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
First transmission means for transmitting the second moving image data to the client device;
Receiving means for receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
Extraction means for extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
Second transmission means for transmitting extracted moving image data, which is moving image data extracted by the extracting means, to the client device;
The server characterized by having. A control method of an image distribution system having a server and a client device,
A first transmission step in which the server transmits second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data to the client device;
A first receiving step in which the client device receives the second moving image data from the server;
A generating step in which the client device generates scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data based on the second moving image data;
A second transmission step in which the client device transmits the scene information to the server;
A second receiving step in which the server receives the scene information from the client device;
An extraction step in which the server extracts the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
A third transmission step in which the server transmits extracted moving image data, which is the moving image data extracted in the extraction step, to the client device;
A third receiving step in which the client device receives the extracted moving image data from the server;
A control method characterized by comprising: A method of controlling a server connectable to a client device,
A first transmission step of transmitting to the client device second moving image data having a data size smaller than the first moving image data and representing the same moving image as the first moving image data;
A reception step of receiving, from the client device, scene information indicating at least a part of the scene of the second moving image data;
Extracting the moving image data of the scene indicated by the scene information from the first moving image data;
A second transmission step of transmitting the extracted moving image data, which is the moving image data extracted by the extraction step, to the client device;
A control method characterized by comprising:   A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 13 or 14.

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