JP2017175362A - Image collection device, display system, image collection method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image with reduced influence of a shielding object without image processing of the shielding object.SOLUTION: An image collection device 100 comprises: an acquisition unit 110 for acquiring image information from plural devices; a selection unit 120 for selecting image information containing no shielding object in an image, out of plural pieces of the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 110; and a storage unit 130 for storing the image information selected by the selection unit 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an image collection device and the like.

  A technique for cutting out and displaying an image of a predetermined space by specifying a position and a direction is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for processing a partial image of an input image that reflects the real world and highlighting a specific object. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for diluting or removing a shielding object by averaging a plurality of temporally continuous images for a specific monitoring object.

JP 2012-079129 A JP 2006-140757 A

  An image taken on the road or indoors may include a shield such as a person. Such a shield not only hinders the visual recognition of objects to be browsed (buildings, landscapes, etc.), but also causes a problem in which a third party's face and personal information are disclosed against the will of the person. There is a possibility to make it.

  Patent Document 2 discloses protecting personal information by averaging images of shielding objects. However, when there are a large number of images, it is inefficient to perform such image processing by checking the images one by one.

  One exemplary object of the present disclosure is to provide an image in which the influence of the shielding object is reduced without using image processing for processing the shielding object.

  An image collection device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires image information from a plurality of devices, and image information that does not include a shielding object among the plurality of image information acquired by the acquisition unit. Selecting means for selecting; and storing means for storing the image information selected by the selecting means.

  A display system according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a photographing device, an image collecting device, and a display device, and the image collecting device includes an obtaining unit that obtains image information from the photographing device, and the obtaining unit. A selection unit that selects image information that does not include an obstruction in the image, and a storage unit that stores the image information selected by the selection unit, and the display device includes: Display means for displaying an image corresponding to the image information stored by the storage means;

  An image collection method according to still another aspect of the present disclosure acquires image information from a plurality of devices, selects image information that does not include a shielding object in the image from the plurality of acquired image information, and Stores the selected image information.

  According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a program selects, in a computer, processing for acquiring image information from a plurality of devices, and image information that does not include a shielding object from the plurality of acquired image information. And a process of storing the selected image information.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image in which the influence of the shielding object is reduced without using image processing for processing the shielding object.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image collection device. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image collection apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the display system. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image editing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a sequence chart showing an example of the operation in the display system. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating information recorded by the first recording unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating information recorded by the second recording unit. FIG. 8 is a sequence chart showing an example of the operation in the display system. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a modification of the image collection device. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another modification of the image collection device. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating still another modification of the image collection device. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the computer apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image collection device 100 according to an embodiment. The image collection device 100 is a device that collects images of a predetermined space. The predetermined space here is, for example, a landscape of a specific region or the inside of a specific facility. The space here is not limited to a specific place as long as each position and direction can be identified by a predetermined index (latitude, longitude, direction, etc.).

  The image collection device 100 includes at least an acquisition unit 110, a selection unit 120, and a storage unit 130. The image collection device 100 may include other components. The image collecting apparatus 100 can be configured by any of software, hardware, and a combination thereof.

  The acquisition unit 110 acquires image information. In some aspects, the image information may be associated with position information indicating the position of the image and direction information indicating the direction of the image at the position. The position information represents the position by a combination of latitude and longitude, for example. Alternatively, the position information may represent the position by coordinates in a predetermined coordinate system. The direction information represents, for example, an azimuth by an angle with a specific direction (for example, north) as a reference. The position information and the direction information may be embedded in the image information.

  The acquisition unit 110 acquires image information from a plurality of devices. In some aspects, the acquisition unit 110 receives image information via a network such as the Internet. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire image information stored in a predetermined storage device.

  The selection unit 120 selects predetermined image information from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 110. Specifically, the selection unit 120 selects image information that does not include an obstruction in the image from among a plurality of image information acquired by the acquisition unit 110. The selection unit 120 may determine whether or not the image includes a shielding object using a known technique (for example, an object recognition technique). Alternatively, the selection unit 120 may cause another device to determine whether the image contains a shielding object, acquire the determination result, and use it as a reference for selection.

  Here, the shielding object is an object that shields an image (building, building, etc.) that is a collection target. For example, the shield is a person (such as a pedestrian) who accidentally appears in an image or a car traveling on a road. However, the shield is not limited to only humans and automobiles. For example, any object that can be recognized by the above-described object recognition technology can be used as a shielding object.

  The storage unit 130 stores the image information selected by the selection unit 120. The storage unit 130 includes a storage device such as a hard disk, for example. Alternatively, the storage unit 130 may be configured to record image information in an external storage device. The image information stored by the storage unit 130 is used for browsing.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image collection device 100. The image collecting apparatus 100 may execute this operation every time image information is acquired. However, the image collecting apparatus 100 may execute this operation collectively at a predetermined timing for a plurality of pieces of image information acquired in a predetermined period. Also good.

  In step S11, the acquisition unit 110 acquires image information. At this time, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire the position information and the direction information associated with the image information together. In step S <b> 12, the selection unit 120 selects image information that is determined not to include a shielding object from the image information acquired in step S <b> 11. In other words, the selection unit 120 selects image information. In step S13, the storage unit 130 stores the image information selected in step S12. The storage unit 130 does not store the image information that has not been selected in step S12, that is, the image information that is determined to include a shielding object in the image.

  As described above, the image collection device 100 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which image information acquired from a plurality of devices is selected and image information that does not include a shielding object is selectively stored in the image. According to this configuration, image information provided for browsing can be limited to image information that does not include a shielding object, and thus it is necessary to execute image processing for processing the shielding object on this image information. It is possible to eliminate (or reduce) sex.

  A service for publicizing images taken on the street or indoors is known. In such a service, images to be released are generally photographed and collected by a service provider. In this case, in order to prevent the shielding object from being undisclosed, it is necessary to perform image processing such as mosaic processing on the unintentionally photographed shielding object or to photograph an image that does not include the shielding object. There is. If the service provider carries out such image processing or shooting alone, it must be said that the efficiency is low. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, image information is acquired from a plurality of devices, and image information that does not include a shielding object is stored in the image. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently collect image information.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display system 200 according to another embodiment. The display system 200 includes a photographing device 210, an image editing device 220, and a browsing device 230. In the display system 200, the number of each of the imaging device 210, the image editing device 220, and the browsing device 230 is not limited to a specific number.

  In the present embodiment, the same terms as those described in the first embodiment are used in the same meaning as in the first embodiment unless otherwise defined or explained. In addition, in the present embodiment, the components given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have at least the same configuration as that in the first embodiment.

  The imaging device 210 is an electronic device that is carried by a photographer. The imaging device 210 is, for example, a smartphone or a digital still camera with a communication function. Moreover, the imaging device 210 may be an in-vehicle device. The imaging device 210 includes at least an imaging unit 211.

  The imaging unit 211 captures an image and generates image information indicating the captured image. The imaging unit 211 includes an image sensor configured by, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).

  In some aspects, the imaging device 210 has a configuration for acquiring position information and direction information. The position information can be acquired using, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System). The direction information can be acquired using, for example, a so-called electronic compass (geomagnetic sensor). Note that the position information and the direction information may be input by the photographer without using such a configuration.

  The browsing device 230 is an electronic device possessed by a viewer. The browsing device 230 is, for example, a smartphone or a personal computer. The browsing device 230 includes at least a display unit 231. The browsing device 230 may include an input device such as a keyboard.

  The display unit 231 includes a display surface configured by a display element such as a liquid crystal, for example. The display unit 231 displays an image on this display surface. The display unit 231 may be a touch screen display. Alternatively, the display unit 231 may be a projector that projects an image on a screen or a wall surface.

  The image editing device 220 exchanges data with the photographing device 210 and the browsing device 230. The image editing device 220 can communicate with the photographing device 210 and the browsing device 230 via a network such as the Internet or a mobile communication network. The image editing device 220 corresponds to an example of the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image editing apparatus 220. The image editing apparatus 220 includes a reception unit 221, a selection unit 222, a transmission unit 223, a first recording unit 224, and a second recording unit 225.

  The receiving unit 221 receives image information from the imaging device 210. When receiving the image information, the receiving unit 221 supplies the image information to the first recording unit 224. The reception unit 221 corresponds to an example of the acquisition unit 110 of the image collection device 100.

  The selection unit 222 selects predetermined image information from the image information received by the reception unit 221 and recorded by the first recording unit 224. Specifically, the selection unit 222 selects image information that does not include a shielding object in the image from the image information recorded by the first recording unit 224. The selection unit 222 supplies the selected image information to the second recording unit 225. The selection unit 222 corresponds to an example of the selection unit 120 of the image collection device 100.

  The transmission unit 223 transmits the image information selected by the selection unit 222 and recorded by the second recording unit 225 to the browsing device 230. The transmission unit 223 reads image information in response to a request from the browsing device 230. For example, the transmission unit 223 reads image information associated with a specific position and direction from the second recording unit 225 and supplies the image information to the browsing device 230.

  Both the first recording unit 224 and the second recording unit 225 record image information. The first recording unit 224 and the second recording unit 225 each record image information in a predetermined storage device. The first recording unit 224 records image information before selection by the selection unit 222. On the other hand, the second recording unit 225 records the image information after selection by the selection unit 222. The second recording unit 225 corresponds to an example of the storage unit 130 of the image collection device 100.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence chart showing the operation in the display system 200. In step S <b> 21, the photographing apparatus 210 performs photographing with the photographing unit 211 and generates image information. In step S <b> 22, the image capturing apparatus 210 transmits the image information to the image editing apparatus 220 in association with the position information and the direction information. This position information indicates the position of the photographing apparatus 210, that is, the position where the image is photographed. Further, the direction information indicates a direction taken by the photographing unit 211, that is, a direction of the image. When receiving the image information, the image editing apparatus 220 records the image information in step S23.

  In step S24, the image editing apparatus 220 selects the image information recorded in step S23. Specifically, the image editing apparatus 220 determines whether an image indicated by the image information includes a shielding object, and selects the image information when the image includes a shielding object. The image editing apparatus 220 may delete the image information recorded by the first recording unit 224 after completing this determination.

  In step S <b> 25, the image editing apparatus 220 records the image information selected in step S <b> 24, i.e., the image information determined to include a shielding object in the image.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating information recorded by the first recording unit 224. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating information recorded by the second recording unit 225. As shown in these drawings, the first recording unit 224 and the second recording unit 225 record the position information and the direction information in association with the file name of the image information and the shooting date and time. In addition, the first recording unit 224 and the second recording unit 225 record image information to which a file name is assigned. In this example, image information is associated with position information and direction information by a file name.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second recording unit 225 records part of the image information recorded by the first recording unit 224. That is, the image information recorded by the second recording unit 225 is less than the image information recorded by the first recording unit 224.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence chart showing the operation in the display system 200. FIG. 8 shows an operation when a browsing request is transmitted by the browsing device 230 after image information is accumulated in the image editing device 220. In step S <b> 26, the browsing device 230 transmits a browsing request to the image editing device 220 in accordance with a browser operation. The browsing request includes position information and direction information. That is, the viewer transmits a viewing request by designating a desired position and direction.

  In step S27, the image editing apparatus 220 reads image information corresponding to the position information and the direction information included in the browsing request from the image information recorded in step S25. In response to the browsing request, the image editing device 220 searches for and reads out image information associated with the position information and the direction information included in the browsing request.

  In step S28, the image editing apparatus 220 transmits the image information read in step S27 to the browsing apparatus 230. In step S29, the browsing device 230 receives the image information transmitted in step S28, and displays an image corresponding to the image information.

  As described above, the display system 200 of the present embodiment can achieve the same effects as the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment. In addition, the display system 200 can collect image information from various imaging devices 210. Therefore, according to the display system 200, image information can be received not only from a service provider that provides a service for browsing images but also from a user of the service. It is possible to collect.

[Modification]
The present disclosure is not limited to the first embodiment to the second embodiment described above. This indication may include the form which applied the modification or application which those skilled in the art can grasp. For example, the present disclosure includes the modifications described below. In addition, the present disclosure may include a form in which matters described in the present specification are appropriately combined as necessary. For example, the matters described using a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a modified example of the image collection device 100. The image collection device 100a is different from the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in that the selection unit 120 includes an image recognition unit 121. The image collection device 100a has the same configuration as the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in other respects.

  The image recognition unit 121 recognizes an object that satisfies a predetermined condition from the image represented by the image information. The image recognition unit 121 recognizes an object that satisfies a pre-registered condition by an image recognition technique (for example, a general object recognition technique). The image recognition unit 121 can recognize an object having a certain tendency (feature) that can be distinguished from other objects. The object referred to here is, for example, the whole body or part of a human (such as a face), a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a sign, and the like. The image recognition unit 121 may be configured to recognize a plurality of types of objects such as “human” and “automobile”.

  The selection unit 120 determines that the image information in which the specific object is recognized by the image recognition unit 121 is image information including a shielding object in the image. That is, the shielding object in the present embodiment is an object that can be recognized by the image recognition unit 121. The selection unit 120 selects image information whose object is not recognized by the image recognition unit 121.

  The image collecting apparatus 100a according to the present modification can achieve the same effects as the image collecting apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Further, according to the image collection device 100a of this modification, an object that can be recognized by the image recognition unit 121 can be used as a shielding object.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another modification of the image collection device 100. The image collection device 100b is different from the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in that the composition unit 140 is included. The image collection device 100b has the same configuration as the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in other respects.

  The synthesizing unit 140 generates map information based on the image information stored by the storage unit 130. Map information is generated by combining a plurality of pieces of image information. The synthesizing unit 140 may execute image processing that makes an image boundary represented by individual image information less noticeable.

  For example, when the position and direction are input, the map information is configured to output image information associated with the information. Further, the map information is configured to output image information corresponding to the change when the input position or direction changes.

  The image collection device 100b according to the present modification can achieve the same operational effects as the image collection device 100 according to the first embodiment. In addition, according to the image collection device 100b of this modification, map information obtained by combining a plurality of pieces of image information can be used for browsing.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating still another modified example of the image collection device 100. The image collection device 100 c is different from the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in that it includes an output unit 150. The image collection device 100c has the same configuration as the image collection device 100 of the first embodiment in other respects. In this modification, the image information is associated with position information and direction information.

  The output unit 150 outputs image information corresponding to the specific position and direction among the image information stored by the storage unit 130 in response to a browsing request indicating the specific position and direction. In one aspect, the output unit 150 transmits image information to an external device via a network. The transmission unit 223 of the second embodiment corresponds to an example of the output unit 150.

  The image collecting apparatus 100c according to the present modification can achieve the same effects as the image collecting apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In addition, according to the image collection device 100c of this modification, it is possible to selectively output image information corresponding to a browsing request.

(Modification 4)
The specific hardware configuration of each apparatus (image collection apparatus 100, image editing apparatus 220, etc.) according to the present disclosure includes various variations and is not limited to a specific configuration. For example, each device may be realized using software, and may be configured to share various processes using a plurality of hardware.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer apparatus 300 that implements each apparatus. The computer device 300 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, a storage device 304, a drive device 305, a communication interface 306, and an input / output interface. 307. Each apparatus according to the present disclosure may be realized by the configuration (or part thereof) illustrated in FIG.

  The CPU 301 executes a program 308 using the RAM 303. The program 308 may be stored in the ROM 302. Further, the program 308 may be recorded on a recording medium 309 such as a memory card and read by the drive device 305 or may be transmitted from an external device via the network 310. The communication interface 306 exchanges data with an external device via the network 310. The input / output interface 307 exchanges data with peripheral devices (such as an input device and a display device). The communication interface 306 and the input / output interface 307 can function as means for acquiring or outputting data.

  In addition, the component of each apparatus may be comprised by the single circuit (processor etc.), and may be comprised by the combination of several circuits. The circuit here may be either dedicated or general purpose.

  The configuration described as a single device in the above-described embodiment may be distributed among a plurality of devices. For example, the image collection device 100 or the image editing device 220 may be realized by a plurality of computer devices using cloud computing technology or the like.

100, 100a, 100b, 100c Image collection device 110 Acquisition unit 120 Selection unit 121 Image recognition unit 130 Storage unit 140 Composition unit 150 Output unit 200 Display system 210 Imaging device 211 Imaging unit 220 Image editing device 221 Reception unit 222 Selection unit 223 Transmission Unit 224 first recording unit 225 second recording unit 230 browsing device 231 display unit 300 computer device

Claims (7)

Acquisition means for acquiring image information from a plurality of devices;
A selection unit that selects image information that does not include an obstruction in the image among the plurality of pieces of image information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An image collection apparatus comprising: storage means for storing image information selected by the selection means. The selection means includes
Image recognition means for recognizing an object satisfying a predetermined condition from the image represented by the image information acquired by the acquisition means;
The image collection device according to claim 1, wherein image information in which the object is not recognized by the image recognition unit is selected. The image collecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a combining unit that generates map information based on the image information stored by the storage unit. The image information is associated with position information indicating the position of the image represented by the image information and direction information indicating the direction of the image at the position,
An output means for outputting image information corresponding to the specific position and direction among the image information stored by the storage means in response to a browsing request indicating a specific position and direction. The image collection device according to any one of the above. A photographing device, an image collecting device, and a display device;
The image collecting device includes:
Acquisition means for acquiring image information from the imaging device;
A selection unit that selects image information that does not include an obstruction in the image among the plurality of pieces of image information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Storage means for storing the image information selected by the selection means,
The display device
A display system comprising display means for displaying an image corresponding to the image information stored by the storage means. Obtain image information from multiple devices,
Among the plurality of acquired image information, select image information that does not include a shield in the image,
An image collection method for storing the selected image information. On the computer,
Processing to acquire image information from a plurality of devices;
A process of selecting image information that does not include a shielding object in the image from the plurality of acquired image information;
A program for executing the processing for storing the selected image information.

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