JP4670776B2 - Video sharing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for sharing video captured by a camera among a plurality of users.

  Conventionally, a system is known in which an image taken by a digital camera or a camera-equipped mobile phone is uploaded to a server on the Internet, and the uploaded image is downloaded and shared by a plurality of users such as family members and friends (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-341298 A

  By applying the system described above to a video sharing system, for example, a plurality of photographers, such as a video in which children's parents become photographers at an event such as an athletic meet, respectively. Can share video taken in the same facility. However, in the conventional system as disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the contents of the video are not known unless the video is actually played back, the user who uses the system must play back and check the video one by one. It must be easy to use. Therefore, there is a need for a system that is easy to use when sharing images shot by a plurality of photographers in the same facility.

The invention of claim 1 is a video sharing system in which various videos are accumulated and the accumulated videos are used by a plurality of users, and a plurality of cameras for photographing any of a plurality of subjects existing in a facility; A video collecting means for collecting each shot video shot by a plurality of cameras, a storage means for storing each shot video collected by the video collecting means, and a photographer of a subject whose turn is close among a plurality of subjects. And schedule management means for warning.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the video sharing system of the first aspect, the schedule management means specifies a subject that is scheduled to participate in the event program when a predetermined time before the next event program starts. The subject whose turn is close is determined.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the video sharing system according to the first or second aspect, the schedule management means selects a subject to be participated in the next event program based on the participant registration information for each event program registered in advance. It is something to identify.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the video sharing system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the schedule management means issues a warning by transmitting a control signal instructing a specific operation to the camera.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the video sharing system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the schedule management means issues a warning by sending an e-mail to a mail address of a mobile phone possessed by a photographer registered in advance. Is what you do.

  According to the present invention, it is convenient to share videos taken by a plurality of photographers in the same facility, such as videos in which children's parents are photographers and photographed by their parents at an athletic meet. A good system can be provided.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video sharing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This video sharing system is mainly used in a kindergarten, a nursery school, an elementary school or the like to share videos taken by a plurality of photographers in the facility. By using this video sharing system, for example, at the event such as an athletic meet, children's parents can be photographers, and videos of their children can be shared with other parents. As a result, even if there is a scene where your child was hiding behind an obstacle and could not be shot well, using the video taken by other parents, their child is reflected in the scene You can get a video.

  The video sharing system 100 of FIG. 1 includes an IC tag 101, an IC tag receiver 102, a camera 103, a control device 104, and a recording device 105. The IC tag receiver 102, the control device 104, and the recording device 105 are installed in advance in the facility. On the other hand, the IC tag 101 and the camera 103 are possessed by a child who is a user of the video sharing system 100 and a photographer.

  The IC tag 101 is carried by each of the children (children, children, etc.) who are the subjects of the camera 103. For example, the IC tag 101 is attached to a name tag, a hat, shoes, nursery clothes, gym clothes, and the like, and the children carry the IC tag 101 by wearing these things. Further, a photographer (such as a parent) who owns the camera 103 also owns the IC tag 101. In this case, the IC tag 101 may be attached to the photographer's clothes or the like as with the child, or may be attached to the camera 103. That is, in FIG. 1, the IC tag 101 is represented by one block, but actually, the video sharing system 100 includes a plurality of IC tags 101 corresponding to the number of children and photographers.

  The IC tag 101 is given a unique tag number for uniquely identifying each IC tag 101, and the person who owns the IC tag 101 can be specified by this tag number. . Specifically, tag management information in which tag numbers of a plurality of IC tags 101 possessed by each photographer and child are associated with persons possessing each of them is stored in advance in a recording device 105 described later. It is recorded. Then, based on the tag number of the IC tag 101 read by the IC tag receiver 102, the control device 104 specifies who is the owner of the IC tag 101. The tag number of each IC tag 101 is transmitted to the IC tag receiver 102 as part of tag information. That is, each IC tag 101 transmits tag information as unique identification information.

  The IC tag receiver 102 is installed at predetermined intervals in a facility where the video sharing system 100 is used. Specifically, it is embedded in a grid pattern in the ground of a garden or school yard, under the floor of a facility building, etc., with a predetermined interval (for example, every 2 m under the ground and every 1 m below the floor). Installed. That is, the IC tag receiver 102 is also represented by one block as a representative in FIG. 1, but actually, a plurality of IC tag receivers 102 are included in the video sharing system 100. Each IC tag receiver 102 is assigned a receiver number for uniquely identifying each IC tag receiver 102. Then, the receiver management information in which the installation position of each IC tag receiver 102 is associated with the receiver number is recorded in the recording device 105.

  As described above, when a child or a photographer passes over any one of the IC tag receivers 102 installed at predetermined intervals in the facility, the IC tag receiver 102 is connected to the IC possessed by the passing person. The tag information is read from the tag 101 by wireless communication, and the tag information and its receiver number are output to the control device 104. As will be described later, the control device 104 specifies the tag number included in the tag information, and further specifies the installation position of the receiver based on the receiver number, so that the person who owns the IC tag 101 (that is, The location of the child or photographer in the facility can be specified. In other words, based on the identification information unique to each IC tag 101 received by the IC tag receiver 102 and the installation position of the IC tag receiver 102 that has received the identification information from the IC tag 101, It is possible to specify the location of a child and the location of the camera 103 owned by the photographer.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an installation example of the IC tag receiver 102 in a garden, schoolyard, or facility building. In FIG. 2, the installation position of the IC tag receiver 102 is indicated by a white circle. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the IC tag receivers 102 are installed in the facility at equal intervals. Note that the installation intervals of the IC tag receivers 102 do not necessarily have to be equal as shown in FIG.

  The camera 103 is a video camera possessed by the photographer, photographs any of the children present in the facility in accordance with the photographer's operation, and sequentially transmits the video to the control device 104. Further, the photographing direction and focal length at the time of photographing, the zoom amount and the angle of view of the photographing lens are obtained, and information necessary for calculating the photographing range described later is sequentially transmitted to the control device 104 together with the photographed image as photographing information. . Note that the shooting direction can be detected by, for example, incorporating a direction detection sensor, a posture detection sensor, or the like in the camera 103 and detecting which direction the camera 103 is facing. These pieces of shooting information may be transmitted together with the shot video by embedding them as metadata in the video data.

  When there are a plurality of photographers in the facility, the camera 103 is possessed for each photographer. That is, this camera 103 is also represented by one block in FIG. 1 as a representative, but actually, a plurality of cameras 103 are included in the video sharing system 100.

  The control device 104 is a computer device such as a personal computer or a server, for example, and is connected to the IC tag receivers 102 installed at a plurality of locations in the facility via a LAN or the like installed in the facility. The camera 103 is connected via a wireless communication line such as a wireless LAN, and the recording apparatus 105 is connected via a predetermined interface. The control device 104 functionally includes a position specifying unit 104a, a schedule management unit 104b, a video collection unit 104c, a video editing unit 104d, and a billing unit 104e.

  When the tag information and the receiver number are input from the IC tag receiver 102, the position specifying unit 104a receives the input receiver number based on the receiver management information recorded in the recording device 105 as described above. Is specified, and the tag number of the IC tag 101 that has transmitted the tag information is specified based on the input tag information. From the installation position of the IC tag receiver 102 thus identified and the tag number of the IC tag 101, it is specified where the person (child or photographer) who owns the IC tag 101 to which the tag number is assigned is located in the facility. . In the case of a child, the position is recorded as a subject position, and in the case of a photographer, the position is recorded as a camera position in the recording device 105. The subject position and the camera position are updated when the tag information of the IC tag 101 carried by the child or the photographer is received by the IC tag receiver 102 different from the previous one.

  The schedule management unit 104b identifies a prospective participant of the next event program based on the participant registration information for each event program registered in advance according to the event schedule, and for a photographer who photographs the prospective participant as a subject. Warning information indicating that the start of shooting is to be transmitted. For example, in a sports day, warning information is transmitted to the parent of a child who participates in the next competition. This warning information is transmitted to the camera 103 owned by the photographer, for example, by turning on the power, outputting a warning sound, flashing the LCD monitor, or displaying a warning message such as “5 minutes before the start” on the LCD monitor. This is done by transmitting a control signal instructing the operation. In this case, the correspondence between the subject (child) and the camera 103 is registered in advance. Alternatively, it is performed by sending a mail to the mail address of the parent mobile phone registered in advance. Note that the participant registration information for each registered event program is recorded in the recording device 105.

  The video collection unit 104 c collects the video shot from each camera 103 and records it in the recording device 105 by receiving the video shot by the camera 103 and sequentially transmitted. The video collection unit 104 c records a plurality of videos collected from the plurality of cameras 103 in the recording device 105. Further, the above-described shooting condition information is sequentially received from the camera 103 together with the shot video, and recorded together with the shot video in the recording device 105 every predetermined time. The shooting condition information recorded in this way is used when obtaining the shooting range of the camera 103 in the video determination process performed by the video editing unit 104d described later.

  The video editing unit 104d specifies a subject in each captured video collected from the plurality of cameras 103 by the video collecting unit 104c, and edits a video with any subject as an editing target based on the result. In this video editing, the video portion in which the subject to be edited is best reflected is extracted from each collected video every predetermined time, and the video portion is edited by inserting it sequentially. Create an edited video suitable for the subject. Detailed processing contents at this time will be described later.

  The billing unit 104e calculates a charge amount for the user or a receipt amount received by the user when providing the user with the edited video created by editing the plurality of captured videos by the video editing unit 104d. At this time, if an edited video provided to the user uses a video taken by a photographer other than the user, an amount corresponding to the usage time is charged to the user and paid to the video provider. Is called. On the other hand, when the video shot by the user is used in the edited video provided to another user, the user is paid an amount corresponding to the usage time. A specific method for calculating the charged amount or the received amount will be described in detail later.

  The recording apparatus 105 includes various information as described above, that is, tag management information and receiver management information, information on the subject position and camera position specified by the position specifying unit 104a, and information on the camera 103 collected by the video collecting unit 104c. Shooting video and shooting information, registration information for each event program, etc. can be recorded and stored. For this recording device 105, for example, a hard disk or the like is used.

  By using the video sharing system 100 as described above, it is possible to collect videos taken by each parent with children participating in the athletic meet as subjects and share them among the parents. Then, after the athletic meet, when the parent designates his / her child as an editing target by a method such as accessing the video sharing system 100 from a personal computer at home, not only his own video but also other parents who have been shared. You can also use the shot video to create an edited video that best shows your child.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the control device 104 in the video sharing system 100. As shown in this flowchart, the control device 104 sequentially executes the in-event process in step S100, the video determination process in step S200, the video editing process in step S300, and the billing process in step S400. The specific processing contents in each of these steps will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Note that the in-event process in step S100 is executed during an event such as an athletic meet, and the other processes are executed after the event ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing executed in the event processing in step S100 of FIG. This flowchart is composed of position specifying processing in steps S101 to S104, schedule management processing in steps S111 to S114, video collection processing in steps S121 and S122, and determination processing in step S131. The position specifying process is executed by the position specifying unit 104a in the control device 104, the schedule management process is executed by the schedule management unit 104b, and the video collecting process is executed by the video collecting unit 104c.

  In step S101, tag information and a receiver number are input from the IC tag receiver 102. In step S102, the subject or camera 103 corresponding to the tag number is specified based on the tag number input in step S101 and the tag management information recorded in the recording device 105. In step S103, the subject position or camera position of the subject or camera 103 specified in step S102 is specified based on the receiver number input in step S101 and the receiver management information recorded in the recording device 105. In step S104, the subject position or camera position specified in step S103 is recorded in the recording device 105.

  When the tag number input from the IC tag receiver 102 is assigned to the IC tag 101 possessed by the child by the position specifying process in steps S101 to S104 described above, the child is specified as the subject. The location is recorded in the recording device 105 as the subject position. Further, when the tag number input from the IC tag receiver 102 is assigned to the IC tag 101 possessed by the parent who is the photographer, the camera 103 possessed by the photographer is specified, The location is recorded in the recording device 105 as a camera position. In this manner, the subject positions and camera positions of the plurality of subjects and the camera 103 included in the video sharing system 100 are recorded.

  In step S111, the participant registration information recorded in the recording device 105 is read. An example of the participant registration information is shown in FIG. In this example, it represents which competition program children A to E will participate in for each competition program of athletic meet “Tama-in”, “100m run”, “Dance (elder)”, and “Obstacle race”. ing. Such system registration information can be registered by checking the check box of the child who participates in each competition program in advance by the system administrator or the parents of the children.

  In step S112, based on the participant registration information read in step S111, it is determined whether or not the start time of the next event program is approaching. Here, it is determined that the start time is approaching when a predetermined time before the next event program starts, for example, 5 minutes before. That is, in the example of the participant registration information in FIG. 8, for example, when it is 9:55, it is determined that the start time of “Tama-in” is approached, and when “10:35” is reached, the “100 m run” starts. It is determined that the time is approaching. In this way, if an affirmative determination is made in step S112, the process proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S112, steps S113 and S114 are skipped and the process proceeds to the next step S121.

  In step S113, a prospective participant of the next event program is specified based on the participant registration information read in step S111. In this way, by specifying a person who is scheduled to participate in the next event program, a subject with a close turn is determined. In step S114, warning information is transmitted by the method described above to inform the person who takes a picture of the prospective participant specified in step S113 as a subject. That is, in the example of the participant registration information in FIG. 8, for example, when 9:55 is reached, warning information is transmitted to the parents of children A and C participating in “Tama-in” and becomes 10:35. If it happens, the warning information is transmitted to the parent of the child C participating in the “100 m run”.

  As a result of the schedule management processing in steps S111 to S114 described above, if the predetermined time before the next event program starts, the next event program is entered based on the pre-registered participant registration information for each event program. Identify the intended subject. This makes it possible to determine a subject whose turn is close and transmit a control signal instructing a specific operation to the camera 103 possessed by the photographer or to be registered in advance by the photographer. Warn by sending an email to the email address of a mobile phone. Therefore, even if the photographer does not remember the event schedule, the photographer can reliably photograph the target subject without missing the photographing timing.

  In step S121, the captured video and the captured information transmitted from the camera 103 are received. In this shooting information, as described above, various shooting conditions at the time of shooting by the camera 103 are expressed. In step S122, the captured video and the captured information received in step S121 are recorded in the recording device 105. At this time, adjustment may be made so that the white balance of each photographed image matches. By executing the video collecting process in steps S121 and S122 in this way, videos taken by a plurality of photographers with the camera 103 can be collected and shared among users.

  It should be noted that when transmitting the captured video and the shooting information from the camera 103 as described above, it is necessary to add time information for executing a video determination process and a video editing process as described later. This time information must be the same in all the captured images and the shooting information to be processed. Therefore, all photographers need to set the clock of the camera 103 to the same time in advance. For example, by mounting on the camera 103 a radio clock that receives a standard radio wave and corrects the time, the clocks of a plurality of cameras 103 can be automatically adjusted.

  In step S131, it is determined whether the event has ended. This determination may be performed based on the participant registration information read in step S111, or may be performed by detecting a predetermined operation performed by the system administrator or the like at the end of the event. If it is determined that the event has not ended yet, the process returns to step S101 and the above-described processing is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the event has already ended, the flowchart of FIG. 4 ends. In the in-event process, the process as described above is executed.

  Next, the flowchart of FIG. 5 executed by the video editing unit 104d in the video determination process of step S200 will be described. In step S <b> 201, a reference time is set for each captured video collected by the video collection process and recorded in the recording device 105. The reference time is set at a predetermined time interval from the start to the end of each video, and is set at an interval of 1 second, for example. This reference time is set in common for all videos. For example, the start time of the video image that has been started at the earliest time is set as the first reference time, and the reference time is set for each video image every predetermined time thereafter. Note that the reference time setting interval is determined according to the processing capability of the control device 104 and the like. That is, as the setting interval is shortened, the total number of steps described below increases and the processing load on the control device 104 increases, so that the processing time of the control device 104 can be kept within a certain range. It is preferable to shorten the reference time setting interval when the processing capability is high, and to increase the reference time setting interval when the processing capability is low.

  In step S <b> 202, one of the captured videos collected by the video collection process and recorded in the recording device 105 is selected. Here, for example, images taken by the photographer are selected in order from the one with the smallest tag number of the IC tag 101 possessed by the photographer. In step S203, the first reference time in the video selected in step S202 is selected from the reference times set in step S201.

  In step S <b> 204, shooting information at the currently selected reference time is read out from the recording device 105 among the shooting information recorded together with the shot video selected in step S <b> 202. Here, the currently selected reference time is the reference time selected in step S203 or step S213 described later. That is, when the process of step S204 is first executed, the first reference time is set as the currently selected reference time, and thereafter, each time the process of step S204 is repeatedly executed, the subsequent reference time is sequentially selected. It is set as the middle reference time. As described above, when the shooting information is embedded as the metadata in the shot video, the metadata embedded at the currently selected reference time in the video selected in step S202 is read, so that Read.

  In step S205, the shooting range of the camera 103 is calculated based on the shooting information read in step S204. Here, a predetermined range extending around the shooting direction represented by the shooting information is obtained as the shooting range. The size of this shooting range is determined according to the focal length, zoom amount, angle of view, etc. of the camera 103 represented in the shooting information.

  In step S206, the subject position information and the camera position information at the currently selected reference time are read from the recording device 105. The subject position information and the camera position information are recorded in the recording device 105 by the position specifying process described above. At this time, all the subject position information recorded in the recording device 105 is read as subject position information, but only the position information of the camera 103 that captured the video selected in step S202 is taken as the camera position information. To be read. That is, the position information of all the subjects and the position information of the camera 103 corresponding to the selected photographed image are read out from the subject position information and the camera position information recorded in the recording device 105.

  In step S207, a subject within the photographing range is specified based on the photographing range calculated in step S205, the subject position information and the camera position information read in step S206. That is, the relative position of each subject with respect to the camera 103 is obtained from the subject position information and the camera position information, and the subject whose relative position is within the shooting range is specified. The processes of steps S208 and S209 described below are executed for the subject within the shooting range specified here. If no subject in the shooting range has been specified in step S207, the processing in steps S208, S209, and S210 is not performed, and “none” is recorded in the subject information in step S211.

  In step S208, obstacle determination is performed to determine whether or not there is a shooting obstacle that is an obstacle to shooting in the shot video selected in step S202. This obstacle determination can be performed as follows. For example, the position of the obstacle is specified by placing the IC tag 101 at the four corners of the obstacle in the facility and specifying the position of the IC tag 101 in the position specifying unit 104a as described above. Determine whether there is a shooting obstacle by comparing the position of the obstacle thus identified with the position of the subject within the shooting range and determining whether the subject is behind the obstacle. can do. Alternatively, the obstacle determination may be performed by recognizing whether the subject is hidden behind the obstacle in the captured image by image processing or the like.

  In step S209, a shooting quality determination is performed to determine the quality of the shooting state in the shot video selected in step S202. For example, the camera 103 detects whether camera shake or a focus error occurs during shooting, and if these are detected, the control device 104 is notified based on the shooting information described above. The state of occurrence of this notification is recorded in the recording device 105 together with the photographed video, and when it occurs, it can be judged whether or not the photographing is good by judging that the photographing state is bad. Alternatively, the distance from the camera 103 to the subject is calculated based on the camera position and the position of the subject within the shooting range, and the calculated result is compared with the focal length of the shooting information. If it is outside the shootable range, it may be determined whether or not the shooting is good by determining that the shooting state is bad. Alternatively, whether or not the photographed image is blurred or out of focus is recognized by image processing such as face recognition, or whether or not the brightness of the photographed image is appropriate is determined to determine whether or not the photograph is taken. You can also

  In step S210, based on the result of specifying the subject within the shooting range in step S207, the result of the obstacle determination in step S208, and the result of the shooting pass / fail determination in step S209, the subject that is appropriately shot in the shot video is specified. To do. In other words, among the subjects within the shooting range specified in step S207, those determined to have no shooting obstacles in step S208 and further determined to have a good shooting state in step S209 are appropriately shot in the shot video. Subject. In step S211, the subject information specified in step S210 is recorded in the recording device 105 as subject information.

  In step S212, it is determined whether or not the captured video selected in step S202 has been selected up to the last reference time. Here, the last reference time corresponds to the last of the captured video selected in step S202 in the reference time set in step S201. If the time until the last reference time has not yet been selected, the process proceeds to step S213, and after selecting the next reference time currently selected, the process returns to step S204. As a result, the next reference time is sequentially selected, and the processing as described above is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the selection is made up to the last reference time, the process proceeds to step S214.

  In step S214, it is determined whether or not all photographed images recorded in the recording device 105 have already been selected by the processing in step S202. If there is still a photographed video that has not yet been selected, the process returns to step S202, and after selecting a photographed video different from that selected in step S202, the above processing is repeated. In this way, all of the captured images captured and collected by the camera 103 are sequentially selected, and the image determination process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S214 that all the captured images have been selected, the flowchart of FIG. 5 ends. In the video determination process, the process described above is executed.

  A specific example of the video determination process as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 shows an example of a shooting situation in the camera 103. In this example, the camera 103 gradually rotates rightward and the child A, B, or C is photographed as a subject. An obstacle 200 exists between the camera 103 and the child A.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of subject information recorded by the video determination process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 for the video shot in the shooting situation of FIG. It is assumed that children B and C are located within the shooting range of the camera 103 at the first reference time t0. At this time, it is determined by the obstacle determination as described above that there is no obstacle 200 between the camera 103 and the children B and C, which are the subjects, and both the children B and C are in a good shooting state by the shooting quality determination. Is determined. In this case, children B and C are recorded in the subject information at the reference time t0. At the next reference time t1, children B and C are recorded in the subject information in the same manner as described above.

  At the reference time t2, it is assumed that the children C and A are located within the photographing range because the child B is out of the photographing range due to the camera 103 rotating to the right. At this time, it is assumed that the obstacle 200 is determined to be between the child A as the subject and the camera 103 by the obstacle determination as described above. In this case, only the child C is recorded in the subject information at the reference time t2. Similarly, only the child C is recorded in the subject information at the next reference time t3.

  At the subsequent reference time t4, the child C is also out of the shooting range due to the camera 103 rotating further to the right, and therefore it is assumed that only the child A is located within the shooting range. In this case, since there is an obstacle 200 between the child A and the camera 103, no child is recorded in the subject information and “none” is recorded. As described above, the subject information is recorded.

  Next, the flowchart of FIG. 6 executed by the video editing unit 104d in the video editing process of step S300 of FIG. 3 will be described. In step S301, a subject to be edited is selected. The selection of the subject is performed, for example, when a parent who is a user accesses the video sharing system 100 from a personal computer at home after the athletic meet and designates his / her child as an editing target. Or it is good also as selecting all the children who participated in the athletic meet in step S301 one by one, and performing the flowchart of FIG. 6 about each.

  In step S301, user information representing a correspondence relationship between a child as a subject of a captured video and a parent as a user may be registered in advance, and the subject may be selected based on the user information. That is, when an edit video creation request is received from any user, the child of the user is specified based on user information registered in advance, and the specified child is automatically set as a subject to be edited for the user. select. In this way, it is possible to prevent the user from designating another child's child without permission and creating an edited video of the child without permission.

  In step S302, the video editing time is set. Here, when the edited video is created by the processing described below, the video editing time is set by setting the shooting time range of the video portion extracted from each of the stored shot videos. That is, a video portion shot at a time within the range of the video editing time set here is extracted from each shot video, and an edited video is created using it. The video editing time may be set directly by the parent as a user from a personal computer at home, or all the time during which the subject selected in step S301 is shot in any shot video is automatically set. You may make it specify. Alternatively, the time of the event program may be set as the video editing time by the user selecting one of the event programs based on pre-registered event program information. This event program information may also be used as participant registration information for each event program as shown in FIG.

  In step S303, the first reference time included in the video editing time set in step S302 is selected from the reference times set in step S201 in FIG. In the next step S304, it is determined whether or not it is within a predetermined time (for example, within 2 seconds) from the previous video switching. That is, if the reference time selected in step S303 or step S315 described later and the reference time at which the video was switched last are longer than a predetermined time, a negative determination is made in step S304 and the process proceeds to step S305. On the other hand, if the interval between the reference time selected in step S303 or step S315 described later and the reference time at which video switching was last performed is within a predetermined time, an affirmative determination is made in step S304 and the process proceeds to step S306. Note that the video switching here is different from that when the video portion extracted from one of the captured videos in step S309, S311 or S312 described later is inserted into the edited video in step S313. This means that the video part from the shot video is inserted.

  When the process proceeds from step S304 to S305, in step S305, the subject information of each photographed video recorded as described above is read from the recording device 105 by the video determination process shown in the flowchart of FIG. If step S305 is performed, it will progress to step S307.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S304 to S306, in step S306, a video portion from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time is extracted from the same captured video as the previous time. By doing so, it is possible to extract a continuous video portion of a predetermined time or more from the same photographed video. As a result, video switching (camera switching) does not occur in the edited video until at least the predetermined time has elapsed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the edited video from being switched too frequently and difficult to view. After execution of step S306, the process proceeds to step S313.

  In step S307, based on the subject information of each captured video read in step S305, whether or not the subject selected as the editing target in step S301 is captured in any captured video at the selected reference time. judge. That is, if the subject selected as the editing target is recorded in at least one of the read subject information of each captured video, an affirmative determination is made in step S307 and the process proceeds to step S308. On the other hand, if the selected subject is not recorded in any of the read subject information, a negative determination is made in step S307 and the process proceeds to step S309.

  When the process proceeds from step S307 to S309, in step S309, a video portion from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time is extracted from the entire captured image obtained by photographing the entire event. This whole shot image is taken by an event organizer or the like. Thereby, even if the subject to be edited is not shot in any shot video, an appropriate video tailored to the event can be inserted into the edited video. Note that instead of inserting the entire video image, for example, a video image taken by a parent who has designated his / her child as an editing target may be inserted, or any other video image of another parent may be selected appropriately. It may be inserted. After execution of step S309, the process proceeds to step S313.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S307 to S308, in step S308, based on the subject information read in step S305, is the subject selected as the editing target in step S301 captured in a plurality of captured images within the same time period? Determine whether or not. That is, if the subject selected as the editing target is recorded in a plurality of pieces of subject information of the read subject information of each captured video, an affirmative determination is made in step S308 and the process proceeds to step S310. On the other hand, if the selected subject is recorded in only one of the read subject information, a negative determination is made in step S308 and the process proceeds to step S311.

  When the process proceeds from step S308 to S310, in step S310, one of a plurality of photographed videos determined to have been photographed in step S308 is determined as a priority photographed video (priority video). To do. This determination can be performed, for example, as follows based on the positional relationship between the camera 103 and the subject or the appearance of each captured video. For example, based on the shooting information, the subject position information, and the camera position information, it is determined whether the camera 103 that shot the video is closest to the subject or the subject is located closest to the center of the shooting range. Thus, it is possible to determine which captured video is the priority video. Alternatively, the priority image may be determined by determining the image with the least blur or blur among the captured images by image processing or the like. At this time, it may be possible to set which condition is important. If the priority video is determined in step S310, the process proceeds to step S312.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S308 to S311, in step S311, from the only photographed video in which it is determined in step S308 that the subject to be edited is photographed, from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time. Extract the video part. After execution of step S311, the process proceeds to step S313.

  In step S312, a video portion from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time is extracted from the captured video determined as the priority video in step S310. Thereby, even when the subject to be edited is shot in a plurality of shot videos, the video portion can be extracted from the shot video most suitable among them. After execution of step S312, the process proceeds to step S313.

  In step S313, the video portion extracted in step S306, S309, S311 or S312 is inserted into the edited video. Thereby, the video portion from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time in the edited video is inserted. At this time, the sound recorded as the master sound may be used so as to be unified in the edited video.

  In step S314, the last reference time included in the video editing time set in step S302 is selected. If the time until the last reference time has not yet been selected, the process proceeds to step S315. After selecting the next reference time currently selected in step S315, the process returns to step S304. As a result, the next reference time is sequentially selected, and the processing as described above is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S314 that the selection has been made up to the last reference time, the flowchart of FIG. 6 ends. In this way, the video is edited by sequentially inserting a plurality of video portions extracted from any of the plurality of photographed videos, and as a result, an edited video for the subject selected as the editing target is created. . In the video editing process, the process described above is executed.

  A specific example of an edited video created by the video editing process as described above is shown in FIG. In this example, when children A and B in FIG. 9 are selected as subjects to be edited, what kind of video is inserted in the edited video created for each of them is shown. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, subject information having the same content as that shown in FIG. 10 is recorded for the video (shown as video # 1) taken by the camera 103 shown in FIG. Shall. Further, it is assumed that subject information as shown in FIG. 11 is recorded for a video (represented as video # 2) taken by another camera 103.

  At the first reference time t0, it can be seen that children #B and C are captured from the subject information in video # 1, and children A and D are captured from the subject information in video # 2. Accordingly, in the edited video (represented as the subject A edited video) created by the video editing process when child A is selected as the editing target, video # 2 in which the child A is captured is the next reference from the reference time t0. It is inserted until time t1. In addition, in the edited video (represented as the subject B edited video) created by the video editing process when the child B is selected as the editing target, the video # 1 in which the child B is captured is the next reference from the reference time t0. It is inserted until time t1. Similarly, during the period from the reference time t1 to the next reference time t2, the video # 2 showing the child A is inserted in the subject A edited video, and the child B is shown in the subject B edited video. Video # 1 is inserted.

  At the reference time t2, it can be seen from the subject information that the child B is not captured and only the child C is captured in the video # 1. At this time, since child B is not shown in either video # 1 or # 2, the subject B edited video is a whole picture taken by an event organizer or the like between the reference time t2 and the next reference time t3. Video is inserted. On the other hand, in the subject A edited video, the video # 2 in which the child A is reflected is inserted between the reference time t2 and the next reference time t3, as before.

  At the reference time t3, it can be seen from the subject information that the children A and C are shown in the video # 2, and the child D is not shown. At this time, as in the case of the reference time t2, the video # 2 is inserted into the subject A edited video and the whole shot video is included in the subject B edited video between the reference time t3 and the next reference time t4. Inserted.

  At the reference time t4, it can be seen that no child is shown in the video # 1 from the subject information, and that the children C and B are shown in the video # 2 from the subject information. At this time, since child A is not shown in either video # 1 or # 2, the entire shot video is inserted into the subject A edited video. On the other hand, video # 2 showing child B is inserted into the subject B edited video. As described above, by sequentially connecting the videos inserted in the subject A edited video and the subject B edited video, edited videos for the children A and B designated as the subjects to be edited are respectively created. The

  Next, the flowchart of FIG. 7 executed by the charging unit 104e in the charging process of step S400 of FIG. 3 will be described. In step S401, a user to be charged is selected. This user selection is performed, for example, by selecting a parent as a target user when a parent who is a user designates his / her child as an editing target and creates an edited video by the video editing process described above. Alternatively, all users who provide the edited video may be selected as target users in order, and the processes after step S402 may be sequentially executed for each user. In step S402, the edited video created for the target user selected in step S401 is specified.

  In step S403, it is determined whether or not a video shot by another person other than the target user selected in step S401 is inserted in the edited video created for the target user specified in step S402. If another person's captured video is inserted in any part of the edited video created for the target user, the process proceeds to step S404. On the other hand, if all of the edited videos created for the target user are composed of videos shot by the target user, and no other person's shot video is inserted, step S404 is not executed and step S404 is not executed. Proceed to S405.

  In step S404, the total insertion time of the other person's captured video determined to have been inserted in the edited video of the target user in step S403, that is, the time during which the other user's captured video is used in the target user's edited video (video usage) Time), and a charge amount is calculated according to the video usage time. Here, for example, the charge amount is calculated by multiplying a predetermined amount for each predetermined charge unit time (for example, 1 yen per second). When the billing amount for the target user is calculated in this way, the process proceeds to step S405.

  In step S405, a video shot by the target user is included in one of the edited videos excluding the edited video of the target user specified in step S402. It is determined whether or not it has been inserted. If the target user's captured video has been inserted into any of the other person's edited videos, the process proceeds to step S406. On the other hand, if the captured video of the target user is not inserted in any of the edited videos of other people, the process proceeds to step S407 without executing step S406.

  In step S406, the total insertion time of the captured video of the target user determined to have been inserted in the edited video of the other person in step S405, that is, the time during which the target user provides the edited video of the target user (video provision) Time) and the amount of money received is calculated according to the video provision time. Here, for example, the amount of money received is calculated by multiplying a predetermined payment unit time by a predetermined amount (for example, 1 yen per second). At this time, a difference may be provided between the amount received by the target user and the amount charged to the user of the photographed video, and the difference may be applied to the fee of the system administrator. When the amount received by the target user is calculated in this way, the process proceeds to step S407.

  In step S407, the final charge amount or receipt amount of the target user is calculated based on the charge amount calculated in step S404 and the receipt amount calculated in step S406. At this time, if the amount charged exceeds the amount received, the amount exceeding the amount received will be the final amount charged. Conversely, if the amount received exceeds the amount charged, the amount exceeding the amount received will be the final amount. The amount received will be When the final charge amount or receipt amount of the target user is thus calculated, the process proceeds to step S408.

  In step S408, the target user is notified of the charge amount or the receipt amount calculated in step S407. In this way, the user who is notified of the charge amount or the received amount pays the charge amount or receives the received amount accordingly, for example, when the edited video is received. Alternatively, payment of the charge amount or receipt of the received amount may be performed by credit card settlement or bank transfer. If step S408 is performed, the flowchart of FIG. 7 will be complete | finished. In the accounting process, the process as described above is executed.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) Video captured by the plurality of cameras 103 is collected by video collection processing executed by the video collection unit 104c, and a video editing unit 104d performs video determination on a subject captured in each captured video. The processing identifies each shot video (step S210). Then, each collected video image and subject information representing the identified subject are recorded in the recording device 105 (steps S122 and S211) and stored in the recording device 105. Because of this, it is convenient to share videos taken by multiple photographers in the same facility, such as videos taken by the parents of the children who were photographers at the athletic meet. A good system can be provided.

(2) The location of each subject and each camera in the facility is specified (step S103), and the information is recorded in the recording device 105 (step S104). In step S210, the subject photographed in each photographed video is identified based on each subject thus identified and recorded and the location of each camera. Since it did in this way, the to-be-photographed object can be specified reliably in each captured video.

(3) A plurality of IC tag receivers 102 are installed in the facility, and in step S103, the tag information of the IC tag 101 held by the subject received by the IC tag receiver 102 and the tag information are received. Based on the installation position of the IC tag receiver 102, the location of each subject and each camera in the facility is specified. Since it did in this way, the location of each subject and each camera can be obtained with high accuracy.

(4) Shooting information is collected from a plurality of cameras 103 (steps S121 and S122), and a shooting range of each camera is calculated based on the collected shooting information (step S205). Then, based on the specified location of each subject and each camera and the calculated shooting range of each camera, a subject within the shooting range is specified (step S207). In step S210, the subject photographed in each photographed video is identified by the subject within the photographing range thus identified. Since it did in this way, the to-be-photographed subject can be specified correctly.

(5) Also, it is determined whether or not there is a shooting obstacle in each captured video (step S208), and the subject in step S211 is specified based on the determination result, so that the subject being shot is selected. It can be specified even more accurately.

(6) Furthermore, the quality of the shooting state in each shot image is determined (step S209), and the subject is specified in step S211 based on the determination result, so that the subject being shot is more accurately identified. Can be specified.

(7) A subject to be edited is selected by the video editing processing executed by the video editing unit 104d (step S301), and the selected subject is photographed from any of a plurality of photographed videos stored in the recording device 105. The plurality of video portions that have been extracted are extracted (steps S306, S311, and S312). By editing the video by sequentially inserting a plurality of video portions extracted in this way, an edited video for the selected subject is created (step S313). Because of this, it is convenient to share videos taken by multiple photographers in the same facility, such as videos taken by the parents of the children who were photographers at the athletic meet. A good system can be provided.

(8) The location of each subject and each camera in the facility is specified (step S103), and the information is recorded in the recording device 105 (step S104). Based on each subject thus recorded and the location of each camera, the subject being photographed in each photographed video is identified (step S210), and subject information representing the identified subject is recorded (step S211). Based on the subject information thus recorded, it is determined whether or not the selected subject is captured in any of the captured images (steps S307 and S308), and the selected result is selected in step S311 or S312. The video portion where the subject was photographed was extracted. Since it did in this way, the image | video part by which the selected to-be-photographed object is image | photographed can be extracted reliably.

(9) It is determined whether or not it is within a predetermined time since the previous video switching (step S304). If it is within the predetermined time, the next reference time from the currently selected reference time to the next reference time The video portion up to is extracted (step S306). In this way, since a continuous video portion of a predetermined time or more is extracted from the same captured video, video switching (camera switching) does not occur in the edited video at least until the predetermined time elapses, and switching frequently occurs. It is possible to prevent the edited video from being too difficult to see.

(10) It is determined whether or not the selected subject is captured in any of the captured images (step S307). When the selected subject is not captured in any of the captured images, the video portion is determined from the predetermined whole captured image. Are extracted (step S309), and the video portion is inserted into the edited video in step S313. Since it did in this way, even if it is a case where the subject made into edit is not image | photographed also in any picked-up image, the suitable image | video according to the event can be inserted in an edit image | video.

(11) It is determined whether or not the selected subject has been captured in a plurality of captured images within the same time (step S308). It is determined that either one should be prioritized (step S310). In step S312, the video portion is extracted from the captured video determined to be prioritized in this way. Since it did in this way, even if it is a case where the photographic subject made into edit is image | photographed in the some imaging | video image | video, a video part can be extracted from the most suitable imaging | video image | video among them.

(12) In step S310, based on the positional relationship between the camera and the subject or the appearance of each captured image, it is determined that one of the plurality of captured images should be prioritized. The most suitable captured video can be reliably determined.

(13) When a subject is selected in step S301, user information representing a correspondence relationship between each subject and the user is registered in advance, and if any user requests creation of an edited video, it is registered. The subject to be edited can be selected based on the user information. In this way, it is possible to prevent the user from specifying a person unrelated to the user, such as a child of another person, as an editing target without permission, and creating an edited video of the person without permission.

(14) The shooting time range of the video portion extracted in the video editing process is set as the video editing time (step S302). At this time, the video editing time can be set based on pre-registered event program information. In this way, the user can simply set the video editing time.

(15) One of the users is selected as the target user by the charging process executed by the charging unit 104e (step S401), and the charge amount of the target user for the edited video created for the target user is calculated ( Step S404). In addition, the received amount of the target user for the edited video created for other users other than the target user is calculated (step S406). Since it did in this way, according to the utilization of the imaging | video of another user, or provision of the imaging | video imaging | video with respect to another user, a user can be charged or payment of a receipt money can be performed.

(16) In step S404, the charge amount of the target user is calculated according to the time during which another user's captured video is inserted in the edited video created for the target user. Since it did in this way, the appropriate charge amount according to the utilization condition of the other user's picked-up image can be calculated.

(17) In step S406, the received amount of the target user is calculated according to the time during which the target user's captured video is inserted in the edited video created for other users than the target user. did. Since it did in this way, the appropriate amount of money received according to the provided situation of the photography picture to other users can be calculated.

(18) With the schedule management process executed by the schedule management unit 104b, a warning is given to the photographer of the subject whose turn number is close among the plurality of subjects present in the facility. Thus, even if the photographer does not remember the event schedule, the photographer can reliably photograph the target subject without missing the photographing timing. As a result, it is an easy-to-use system for sharing videos taken by multiple photographers within the same facility, such as videos taken by children's parents as photographers at the athletic meet. Can be provided.

(19) It is determined whether or not the start time of the next event program is approached (step S112), and when a predetermined time before the next event program starts, a subject to be participated in the event program is specified ( In step S113), it is decided to determine the subject whose turn is close. Since this is done, it is possible to determine a subject whose turn is close at an appropriate timing.

(20) In step S112, based on the participant registration information for each event program registered in advance, the subject who is scheduled to participate in the next event program is specified. Since it did in this way, the subject who will participate in the next event program can be specified easily and reliably.

(21) When transmitting warning information in step S114, a warning can be given to the photographer by transmitting a control signal instructing the camera 103 to perform a specific operation. Alternatively, when the warning information is transmitted in step S114, a warning can be given to the photographer by sending an e-mail to the e-mail address of the mobile phone possessed by the pre-registered photographer. By doing either of these, it is possible to make the warning easy for the photographer to understand.

  In the embodiment described above, all the captured images captured by the camera 103 are collected and shared by the image collection unit 104c, but only the images captured by the user who has agreed to share in advance. May be targeted. At this time, it is preferable to preliminarily determine in the contract items that there is an agreement regarding copyright attribution of the photographed video and that other people's photographed video cannot be used for commercial purposes. Alternatively, the photographer may be able to select whether or not to share each time.

  Alternatively, the captured video may be temporarily recorded in the camera 103, and the user may collect the captured video in the control device 104 by transmitting the video to the control device 104 later from a personal computer at home. At this time, the user may be allowed to select which part of the captured video is transmitted to the control device 104 and shared.

  In the above embodiment, all of the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 7 are executed by the control device 104, but some of them may be executed by the camera 103. For example, information on the subject position and the camera position specified by the position specifying process is sequentially transmitted from the control device 104 to each camera 103, and based on the information, the video determination process as described in the flowchart of FIG. Can also be performed. In such a case, the video editing process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 can be executed in the video editing unit 104 d of the control device 104 by transmitting the captured video and subject information from the camera 103 to the control device 104. In this case, subject information may be embedded in the captured video data as metadata.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a video sharing system in which a parent becomes a photographer at an event such as an athletic meet in a kindergarten, nursery school, elementary school, etc. However, it can be applied to other cases. For example, it may be used when photographing a subject other than his / her child as a subject, or may be used in various facilities such as a park, a gymnasium, an amusement park, and a tourist facility. Various other usage forms are conceivable.

  Each embodiment and various modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the features of the invention are not impaired.

  In the above embodiment, the schedule management unit is realized by the schedule management unit 104b, the video collection unit is realized by the video collection unit 104c, and the storage unit is realized by the recording device 105. However, this is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

1 is a block diagram of a video sharing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of installation of an IC tag receiver. It is a flowchart of the process performed in the video sharing system by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the process performed in the process during an event. It is a flowchart of the process performed in an image | video determination process. It is a flowchart of the process performed in a video editing process. It is a flowchart of the process performed in an accounting process. It is a figure which shows the example of participant registration information. It is a figure which shows the example of the imaging | photography condition in a camera. It is a figure which shows the example of the to-be-photographed object information recorded about the image | video image | photographed in the imaging | photography condition of FIG. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the edit image | video produced by image | video edit processing.

Explanation of symbols

100: Video sharing system 101: IC tag 102: IC tag receiver 103: Camera 104: Control device 105: Recording device

Claims (5)

In a video sharing system that stores various videos and allows multiple users to use the stored videos.
A plurality of cameras for photographing one of a plurality of subjects existing in the facility;
Video collection means for collecting each captured video captured by the plurality of cameras;
Storage means for storing each photographed video collected by the video collection means;
A video sharing system, comprising: a schedule management unit that issues a warning to a photographer of a subject whose turn is close among the plurality of subjects. The video sharing system of claim 1,
The schedule management means, when a predetermined time before the next event program starts, identifies a subject that is scheduled to participate in the event program, and thereby determines a subject that is coming soon. . The video sharing system according to claim 1 or 2,
The video sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the schedule management means identifies a subject who is scheduled to participate in the next event program based on attendee registration information for each event program registered in advance. The video sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The video sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the schedule management means issues a warning by transmitting a control signal instructing a specific operation to the camera. The video sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The video sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the schedule management means issues a warning by sending a mail to a mail address of a mobile phone possessed by the photographer registered in advance.

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