JP4765886B2 - Image browsing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image browsing device, an image browsing system, and an image browsing program.

A database-file linkage apparatus that updates the contents of various files is known. A conventional database-file linkage apparatus guarantees update consistency of files from a database by linking database operation processing and file operation processing (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-282593 A

  However, there is a problem that file update consistency is not guaranteed in devices other than the data server.

The image browsing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, the first image data, and wherein the write-free reading means of the first feature data characterizing the first image data read from an external device, the first image data and the first feature Recording means for recording data on a recording medium, and second image data recorded on the recording medium before the recording means records the first image data and the first feature data, the first image data determining characteristic data determination and the image data determining means for determining whether the same image data, whether the first feature data is new data from the second feature data characterizing the second image data and means and said image data judging means, wherein the first image data and the second image data is determined to be the same image data, and the characteristic data determination unit of the first feature de If a time is determined to newer than the second feature data, an image browsing apparatus and a updating means for updating the second feature data in the first feature data, the first feature data and the first The two feature data includes a first data item to which an identifier is added when manual update by the user is performed, and a second data item that cannot be manually updated by the user, and the update means includes the second data item. When the identifier is added to the first data item of feature data, the first data item of the second feature data is not updated .

  According to the present invention, when it is determined that the read image data and the recorded image data are the same image data, and the image feature data corresponding to the read image data is newer than the image feature data corresponding to the recorded image data, The image feature data corresponding to the recorded image data can be updated with the image feature data corresponding to the read image data.

  A viewer will be described with reference to the drawings as an embodiment of an image browsing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external view of the viewer 100, and FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the viewer 100. The features of the viewer 100 of this embodiment will be outlined.

(Image size)
The viewer 100 captures a 7 million pixel main image from an external device, for example. The viewer 100 resizes the captured main image to an image size of 2 million pixels, for example, and records it as a first reduced image on a large-capacity recording medium 114 such as an HDD. A thumbnail image (for example, 120 pixels × 160 pixels) is attached to the main image, and the viewer 100 displays a list of thumbnail images on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. When the user selects at least one image from the thumbnail images displayed in a list, the viewer 100 resizes the first reduced image resized to 2 million pixels to, for example, a VGA size (640 pixels × 480 pixels), The second reduced image is recorded on a recording medium 111 such as SDRAM (hereinafter referred to as SDRAM 111) that can be read at a higher speed than the large-capacity recording medium 114, and is displayed on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104.

(Image look-ahead)
The viewer 100 according to this embodiment performs prefetching of image data to speed up image display. The prefetch process is a process in which the RISC 110 predicts in advance a plurality of images that are likely to be instructed to be browsed next by the user, and the RISC 110 writes the plurality of predicted images into the SDRAM 111 as VGA image file data. In order to perform prefetching, data characterizing the image is attached to each of the first 2 million pixel reduced images recorded in the HDD 114. For example, when one thumbnail image is selected by the user, the RISC 110 can select a plurality of first images that are highly likely to be browsed based on the feature data, and can read data at a higher speed than the HDD 114. A VGA image is recorded as a second reduced image in the SDRAM 111. At this time, the RISC 110 also records the created VGA image on the HDD 114.

(Image switching)
The viewer 100 includes a double-open liquid crystal display device that is opened and closed by a hinge 101. That is, the viewer 100 includes a plurality of double-opening pairs of the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104, and the second LCD 104 has a touch panel. The first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 can display a second reduced image of VGA size. In addition, the viewer 100 can divide one screen of the first LCD 103 or the second LCD 104 into two regions and collectively display one image in each region. The display image in this case is created by further resizing the second reduced image of VGA size. Furthermore, it is possible to display an image obtained by enlarging the VGA size by two times using the screens of both the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. In the image display process in this case, first, a rough enlarged image is created by interpolating the VGA size and displayed on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. In the meantime, the resized image is reduced to create a fine enlarged image. When the fine enlarged image creation processing is completed, the fine enlarged image is displayed on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 instead of displaying the coarse enlarged image.

  The user can instruct various operations by touching the screen with a finger or the like using the touch panel 122. For example, the viewer 100 can detect a finger rubbing operation on the display screen and perform image switching, that is, image scrolling. For example, when the finger is rubbed horizontally on the screen, display switching is performed by frame advance or frame reverse. Further, when the screen is rubbed along a diagonal line, the number of displayed images in one screen is switched.

(Attitude priority mode and size priority mode)
The viewer 100 can select either the posture priority mode or the size priority mode. In the posture priority mode, the viewer 100 displays the top and bottom of a plurality of images in the vertical direction of the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. For example, when displaying two screens of an image obtained by horizontal position shooting and an image obtained by vertical position shooting, the viewer 100 displays the top and bottom of both images so as to coincide with the vertical direction of the screen. Therefore, one image is displayed with a margin. In the size priority mode, when the viewer 100 displays two screens of an image obtained by horizontal position shooting and an image obtained by vertical position shooting, the longitudinal direction of each of the images of horizontal position shooting and vertical position shooting is the first. The display is made to coincide with the longitudinal direction of the first LCD 103 or the second LCD 104.

Hereinafter, the viewer 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the viewer 100 includes a hinge unit 101, an open / close detection switch 102, a first LCD 103, a second LCD 104, a battery 105, operation buttons 106, and a joystick 107. The viewer 100 is configured to be opened and closed by a hinge unit 101. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the viewer 100 is opened.

  FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the viewer 100. The viewer 100 includes a RISC 110, an SDRAM 111, an SDRAM control unit 112, an image processing circuit 113, an HDD (hard disk drive) 114, an HDD drive circuit 115, an attitude sensor 116, a touch panel 122, and a memory card slot 301S. The viewer 100 also includes an attitude sensor interface 117, a first LCD interface 118, a second LCD interface 119, a memory card interface 120, an operation system interface 123, an HDMI interface 124, a USB interface 125, and a cradle interface 126. An HDMI compatible monitor 501 is detachably connected to the HDMI interface 124, a personal computer 502 is connected to the USB interface 125, and a cradle 503 is detachably connected to the cradle interface 126.

  The open / close detection switch 102 detects opening / closing of the viewer 100. When the viewer 100 is opened by the user, the open / close detection switch 102 outputs an ON signal to the RISC 110. When an ON signal is output from the open / close detection switch 102, the RISC 110 outputs a power supply instruction signal to a power supply circuit (not shown) connected to the battery 105. The power supply circuit that has received the power supply instruction signal supplies power to each component device of the viewer 100. The operation buttons 106 and the joystick 107 are operation switches for the user to perform various settings on the viewer 100. For example, the prefetch mode can be selected by operating the operation button 106 or the joystick 107, and either the metadata matching priority mode or the favorite image priority mode in the prefetch mode can be selected. The joystick 107 is a cross key switch. The image displayed on the first LCD 103 or the second LCD 104 can be switched and displayed by operating the cross key of the joystick 107.

  The RISC 110 is an arithmetic processing circuit that controls each element device of the viewer 100. The SDRAM 111 temporarily stores various data as a work area memory of the RISC 110. The SDRAM 111 records VGA image data as a prefetch image. Further, the SDRAM 111 has a function as a frame memory for displaying an image on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. The SDRAM control unit 112 controls the SDRAM 111 based on an instruction signal from the RISC 110. The SDRAM 111 is a volatile semiconductor memory and can read and write data faster than the HDD 114.

  The HDD 114 is a hard disk drive that can perform nonvolatile storage. The HDD 114 stores image data and various data. The HDD 114 is driven via the HDD drive circuit 115 based on an instruction from the RISC 110, and data writing and data reading are controlled. The recording data of the HDD 114 will be described in detail later. The image processing circuit 113 executes various types of image processing on the image data recorded in the HDD 114 or the SDRAM 111 based on an instruction from the RISC 110.

  The posture sensor 116 has three types of postures of the viewer 100, that is, a horizontal position posture with the arrow AR direction shown in FIG. 1A as the top and bottom of the screen, and the viewer 100 rotates 90 degrees clockwise from the horizontal position posture indicated by the arrow CW. From the rotated +90 degree vertical position and horizontal position and orientation, a −90 degree vertical position and orientation obtained by rotating the viewer 100 by 90 degrees counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW are detected. The horizontal position is a posture of the viewer 100 in which the first and second LCDs 103 and 104 are arranged side by side. The detected posture information is output to the posture sensor interface 117. The attitude sensor interface 117 drives the attitude sensor 116 based on an instruction from the RISC 110 and outputs attitude information input from the attitude sensor 116 to the RISC 110 via the data bus.

  The first LCD 103 is a display for displaying an image. When an image designation operation is performed by the user, the first LCD 103 can display an image of, for example, a VGA size (640 pixels × 480 pixels). That is, the first LCD interface 118 displays a VGA size image on the first LCD 103 based on display image data (hereinafter also simply referred to as VGA image data) written in the SDRAM 111 under the control of the RISC 110. The second LCD 104 is a display for displaying an image in the same manner as the first LCD 103. Similar to the first LCD 103, the second LCD 104 can display, for example, an image of VGA size (640 pixels × 480 pixels) when an image designation operation is performed by the user. That is, the second LCD interface 119 displays a VGA size image on the second LCD 104 based on the VGA image data written in the SDRAM 111 under the control of the RISC 110. Further, the second LCD 104 displays a menu screen for performing various settings in the viewer 100.

  A touch panel 122 is disposed on the surface of the second LCD 104. The touch panel 122 is an operation switch for the user to perform various settings in the viewer 100, like the operation button 106 and the joystick 107. In addition, the image displayed on the first LCD 103 or the second LCD 104 can be switched and displayed in the same manner as the joystick 107 by a horizontal finger rubbing operation on the touch panel 122. The switching display is to switch and display from the image of the currently displayed frame to another image by forward or backward feeding. In addition, the number of displayed images can be switched by a finger rubbing operation on the touch panel 122 in an oblique direction (diagonal direction). The operation system interface 123 receives operation signals from the operation buttons 106, the joystick 107 and the touch panel 122 and outputs them to the RISC 110.

  The memory card interface 120 is an interface for performing data communication with the memory card 301. The HDMI interface 124 is an interface for outputting image data to an external high-definition monitor 501. The USB interface 125 is an interface for performing data communication with an external device 502 such as a PC via a predetermined cable or wireless transmission path. The cradle interface 126 is an interface for performing data communication with an external cradle 503 connected to the viewer 100.

  The memory card 301 is a semiconductor memory card such as a compact flash (registered trademark) or an SD card, and is detachable from the memory card slot 301 </ b> S of the viewer 100. When the memory card 301 is inserted into the memory card slot 301S, image data can be transmitted to and received from the viewer 100 via the memory card interface 120 of the viewer 100 as described above. That is, the memory card 301 functions as a storage medium for the viewer 100.

  A menu screen displayed on the second LCD 104 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows the structure of the menu. When the operation button 106 is operated by the user, the RISC 110 displays a menu screen on the second LCD 104. The items “image display”, “image input”, “slide show”, and “setting” are displayed by the RISC 110 as the top menu of the menu screen. “Image display” is an item for displaying an image on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. “Image input” is an item for instructing the viewer 100 to capture an image from an external device. “Slide show” is an item for instructing display or creation of a slide show. “Setting” is an item for setting the number of displayed images, the display form, the sort order, and the like. Note that the user selects one of the items on the menu screen using any of the operation buttons 106, the joystick 107, and the touch panel 122.

  When “image display” in the top menu is selected, the RISC 110 displays thumbnail images on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 as shown in FIG. 7 as shown in the first hierarchy in FIG. An image selected by the joystick 107 or the touch panel 122 from the thumbnail-displayed images is enlarged and displayed by the RISC 110. The number to be displayed is set from the “simultaneous display number” menu described later.

  While displaying an image such as a thumbnail image, the user can call a submenu by operating one of the operation buttons 106, the joystick 107, and the touch panel 122. When the user performs a submenu call instruction operation, the RISC 110 displays a submenu superimposed on the image on the second LCD 104. The submenu has four items: “simultaneous display number”, “enlargement”, “display priority”, and “image editing”.

  First, the “simultaneous display number” of the submenu will be described. When simultaneous display of one image is set, the RISC 110 displays an image selected from the thumbnail images using two screens of the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 as shown in FIG. When the simultaneous display of two images is set, the RISC 110 displays on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 images having the second sort order from the images selected from the thumbnail images. That is, the RISC 110 displays one image on each of the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 as shown in FIGS. When the simultaneous display of four images is set, the RISC 110 displays on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 images from the image selected from the thumbnail images up to the fourth image in the sort order. That is, RISC 110 displays a total of four images, two on each of first LCD 103 and second LCD 104, as shown in FIGS. Note that setting the number of displayed sheets to be one is possible only when the viewer 100 is fully opened.

  “Enlarge” is an item that is set so that the size of the image displayed on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 is increased. Available image sizes are 100% (640 pixels × 480 pixels), 150% (960 pixels × 720 pixels), 200% (1280 pixels × 960 pixels), and 250% (1600 pixels × 1200 pixels). is there. In “display priority”, “high priority” or “low priority” can be designated. For example, the user designates a high priority for a favorite image.

  “Image editing” is an item for setting an image to be displayed so as to have a pattern that matches the user's preference. The “image editing” further includes menus of “brightness”, “hue”, “gradation correction”, “sharpness”, “monochrome”, and “sepia”. When “brightness” is selected, the user can set the degree of brightness of the image. The user sets the degree of brightness while referring to “brightness bar display” displayed on the second LCD 104 by the RISC 110. When “Hue” is selected, the user can set the hue of the image. The user sets the hue while referring to the “red intensity bar display”, “blue intensity bar display”, and “green intensity bar display” displayed on the second LCD 104 by the RISC 110. When “gradation correction” is selected, one of “hard tone”, “standard”, and “soft tone” can be set. When “sharpness” is selected, the user can set the degree of edge enhancement of the image. The user sets the degree of edge enhancement while referring to the “strong bar display” displayed on the second LCD 104 by the RISC 110.

  When “image input” in the top menu is selected, the RISC 110 displays “image capture” and “image capture cancel” on the second LCD 104. When “image capture” is selected by the user, the RISC 110 starts capture processing of the image recorded in the external device. When “Cancel image capture” is selected, the RISC 110 ends the image capture processing from the external device.

  When “slide show” is selected from the top menu, the RISC 110 displays “display slide show” and “create slide show” on the second LCD 104. In “slide show display”, the user selects images to be used in the slide show. The user designates an image to be used in the slide show from the items “select slide show data” or “select all images”. In “slide show data selection”, the user designates images to be used in the slide show from images displayed as thumbnails by the RISC 110. When “select all images” is selected, the RISC 110 displays a slide show using all the images recorded in the HDD 114. In “create slide show”, it is possible to select an image used in the slide show, display time display effect, and set BGM.

  When “setting” in the top menu is selected, the RISC 110 displays items of “number of simultaneous display”, “display mode”, “display priority”, and “sort order” on the second LCD 104. The items “simultaneous display number” and “display priority” can be set in the same manner as the “simultaneous display number” and “display priority” items in the submenu. In the “display mode”, a display form of an image to be displayed on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104 can be set. When “display mode” is selected, the RISC 110 displays items of “posture priority” and “size priority” on the second LCD 104. In “posture priority”, one of “posture sensor”, “vertical opening”, and “lateral opening” is selected by the user. In the “posture sensor”, the RISC 110 displays the image so that the vertical direction of the image matches the vertical direction of the viewer 100 detected by the posture sensor 116. In “vertical opening”, the RISC 110 displays the image so that the vertical direction of the image coincides with the vertical direction in the vertical position and orientation of the viewer 100 as shown in FIG. In “horizontal opening”, the RISC 110 displays the image with the vertical direction of the image aligned with the vertical direction in the horizontal position and orientation of the viewer 100 as shown in FIGS. 6 (b) and 6 (d). When “size priority” is selected, the RISC 110 displays the image with the longitudinal direction of the side of the image aligned with the longitudinal direction of the return of the first LCD 103 or the second LCD 104, as shown in FIGS. 6C and 6E. To do.

  The “sort order” is an item for setting the image sort order, that is, the image display order. The user selects a sort order of “file name order” or “shooting date order”. When “file name order” is selected, the RISC 110 sorts the image files in ascending order (A to Z) or descending order (Z to A) in alphabetical order according to the dictionary rules based on the file name of the image file. When “order of photographing date / time” is selected, the RISC 110 sorts the image files in ascending order (from the past to the future) or descending order (from the future to the past) based on the photographing date / time information recorded in the image file.

Data management in the HDD 114 will be described with reference to FIG.
Inside the HDD 114, a resized image file folder F1, a VGA image data folder F2, an image processing data folder F3, and a slide show data folder F4 are provided. Further, the HDD 114 is also provided with a viewer image management table T1 and a display priority table T2.

  The resized image file folder F1 is a folder for storing, for example, a resized image file of 2 million pixels (1600 pixels × 1200 pixels) and a metadata file. The image data of the resized image file is compressed in, for example, JPEG format. The resized image generation process and the metadata file will be described in detail later. The VGA image data folder F2 is a folder for storing VGA size image data created for display on the first LCD 103 and the second LCD 104. The VGA size image data is generated by the RISC 110 based on the resized image file, and is stored as a luminance color difference format (YCbCr422 format) file (VGA image file). The image processing data folder F3 is a folder for storing data indicating the contents of image processing performed on the resized image file, that is, image processing data. The slide show data folder F4 is a folder for storing slide show data.

  The viewer image management table T1 is a table for managing resized image files stored in the HDD 114 of the viewer 100. The viewer image management table T1 will be described in detail later. The display priority table T2 is a table that the RISC 110 refers to when determining the display priority of the viewer image management table T1. The display priority table T2 will also be described in detail later.

  Next, the viewer image management table T1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the viewer image management table T1. “No.” is a serial number added based on the order recorded in the viewer image management table T1. “Resize image file name” represents the file name of the resize image file. No. 4 in FIG. The resized image file name “DSC_0005 — 2006 — 01 — 01 — 1930.rsz” shown in FIG. 1 is given based on the following rule.

  The file name prefix DSC_0005, which is the file name prefix, is the file name DSC_0005. This is the same character string as the part excluding the extension jpg of jpg. _2006 — 01 — 01 — 1930, which is the suffix of the file name (end part), is added based on the shooting date and time of the image file. That is, in this example, since the image was taken at 19:30 on January 1, 2006, the suffix is _2006_01_01_1930.

  “VGA image file name” is the file name of the VGA image file, and is the file name obtained by replacing the extension rsz of the resized image file name with ycc. Therefore, the resized image file name and the VGA image file name are associated with each other. “Shooting date and time” represents information on the shooting date and time, that is, the date and time when the file was generated by the camera during shooting. “Shooting date and time No.” is a number added in order of shooting date and time. A larger “shooting date / time No.” indicates that the image was shot later. “Display priority” is data referred to by the RISC 110 when performing the above-described image prefetching process. The larger the display priority value, the higher the display priority. As described above, the prefetch process is a process in which the RISC 110 predicts in advance a plurality of images that are likely to be browsed by the user and writes the image data of the VGA image file into the SDRAM 111. The prefetch process by the RISC 110 is performed in order to realize high-speed image display.

  Next, a display priority determination rule by the RISC 110 will be described. The display priority table T2 shown in FIG. 5 is a table that is referred to when the RISC 110 determines the display priority. The display priority table T2 is a table showing the correspondence between the image shooting date and the number of display times in the viewer 100 and the weighting value assigned to them, that is, the display priority. The RISC 110 refers to the display priority table T2 and determines that the display priority of the image shot on the last shooting date is 10. In general, the user tends to view the latest image, so the priority is set highest. The RISC 110 determines that the display priority of the images used for the slide show is 5. Since the images used in the slide show are user's favorite images, the priority is increased. The RISC 110 determines the display priority with reference to the display count of images recorded in the viewer image management table T1 and the display priority table T2. However, the display of thumbnail images is not counted by the RISC 110 as the number of display times. The RISC 110 counts the number of times of display when the image is displayed in a size larger than a predetermined size. For example, when the image display size is equal to or larger than that for the simultaneous display of four images, the RISC 110 counts the number of times of display and updates the display number field of the viewer image management table T1.

  The RISC 110 determines the display priority of the image designated as having a high priority by the user as 5 with reference to a “high priority designation” column described later in the viewer image management table T1. Therefore, since the RISC 110 refers to the display priority when performing prefetching as described above, there is a high possibility that an image for which high priority has been designated is prefetched by the RISC 110. Further, the RISC 110 fixes the display priority of an image designated as low priority by the user with reference to a “low priority designation” column described later in the viewer image management table T1. That is, the RISC 110 does not change the display priority no matter how many times an image with a low priority is displayed. Therefore, an image for which low priority is specified is less likely to be prefetched by the RISC 110. The images before and after the user's favorite image are likely to increase in the number of display times as the image is switched. However, these images are not always user's favorite images. Therefore, by fixing the display priority of such an image to 1, the RISC 110 can prefetch an image with a higher display priority.

  Returning to the description of the viewer image management table T1. “Use slide show” is information indicating whether an image is used for a slide show. When an image is used for the slide show for the first time, the RISC 110 updates the slide show use column corresponding to the image. “Specifying high priority” is information indicating whether or not an image is designated as having high priority by the user. When high priority is set by the user from the menu screen described above, the RISC 110 updates the high priority designation field. “Low priority designation” is information indicating whether or not an image has been designated by the user as having low priority. When the low priority is set by the user from the menu screen described above, the RISC 110 updates the low priority designation field.

  “Sort order” represents an image display order determined by a user sort instruction. The “sort order” is rewritten every time the user gives a sort instruction. There are two sort conditions that can be specified by the user, for example, file name order or shooting date / time order. The sorted images are ordered in the sort order on a reference axis that is arranged in the order of file name or shooting date.

  “Camera posture information” is information representing the posture of the camera at the time of shooting. There are three types of “camera posture information”: a horizontal position photographing posture, a +90 degree vertical position photographing posture, and a −90 degree vertical position photographing posture. That is, the horizontal position shooting posture in which the user holds the camera in the horizontal position, the +90 degree vertical position shooting posture in which the user holds the camera at the vertical position of +90 degrees clockwise from the horizontal position, and the clockwise position from the horizontal position. -90 degree vertical position shooting posture when shooting at a vertical position of -90 degrees. The camera posture information is recorded in an image file based on a signal from a posture sensor provided in the camera.

  “Image processing management information” indicates the type of image processing performed on the resized image data and the order in which the processing is performed. No. 4 in FIG. A case of 1 indicates that the tone adjustment has been performed after the gradation conversion is performed on the resized image data. “Image processing data name” is data in which parameters of image processing indicated in the image processing management information are recorded. No. 4 in FIG. In the case of 1, P000019. imp is image processing data. The image processing data is stored in the image processing data folder F3 in the HDD 114.

  “Metadata update date / time” represents information on the date / time when the metadata stored in the header of the image file was updated. The metadata will be described in detail later. “Camera identifier information” is information that identifies the camera that captured the image. Specifically, the camera manufacturer name, camera model name, and camera serial number are included.

  Next, a method for generating a resized image file will be described. The resized image file is generated by an external device such as a personal computer.

-Processing for memory cards with image files acquired by electronic cameras-
FIG. 9 is a schematic control block diagram showing an example of a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) 400. The personal computer 400 has a CPU 401, HDD 402, memory card interface 403, operation unit 404, monitor 405, and external interface 406. When the resized image is generated by the personal computer 400, the image management software is started by the user. This image management software is stored in the HDD 402. When the user operates the operation unit 404 and is instructed to start the image management software, the CPU 401 starts the image management software. When the memory card 301 is attached, the memory card interface 403 outputs an attachment signal indicating that the memory card 301 is attached to the CPU 401. When receiving the mounting signal, the CPU 401 establishes communication with the memory card 301 and outputs a signal requesting transmission of an image file in the memory card 301.

  When an image file is input, the CPU 401 generates a resized image file and a metadata file described later from the input image file. The metadata file generation processing by the CPU 401 will be described in detail later. The CPU 401 records the generated resized image file and metadata file in the resized image folder of the memory card 301 and the HDD 402. Similarly, when the personal computer 400 and the electronic camera 200 are connected via a cable such as USB via the external interface 406, the CPU 401 reads an image file and generates a resized image file and a metadata file. Is done.

  Next, a metadata file generated by the CPU 401 will be described with reference to FIG. The metadata file is generated by the CPU 401 based on the metadata stored in the header part of the image file. Metadata is data that characterizes image data. Further, as data, for example, information on shooting conditions such as shutter speed and aperture at the time of subject shooting, shooting date / time information, information on the number of pixels, and the like are recorded. In the metadata file, data as shown in FIG. 10 is recorded in a text format. That is, the metadata file has data items indicating a metadata version, metadata creation date and time, a shooting camera identifier, an image data identifier, a person name, and a flower type.

  The metadata version represents version information of the image management software that generated the metadata file. In FIG. 10, the version of the image management software is Ver. 2.0. The number of image management software increases with each version upgrade. That is, Ver. The 3.0 image management software is Ver. This is a new image management software upgraded from the 2.0 version of the image management software.

  The metadata generation date and time represents the date and time when the metadata file was generated by the CPU 401 using image management software. The shooting camera identifier is information that identifies the electronic camera 200 that has captured the subject and acquired the image. The shooting camera identifier includes a camera manufacturer name, a camera model name, and a camera serial number. The image data identifier includes information on the number of pixels and the shooting date and time. As for the number of pixels, the number of pixels of the resized image and the number of pixels of the original image used when generating the resized image are recorded. The data items of the metadata version, the metadata generation date and time, the shooting camera identifier, and the image data identifier are information that cannot be updated by a user operation (hereinafter referred to as manual update).

  The person name and the flower type are information that characterizes the photographed subject. In the person name, the name of the person who is the subject is recorded. Similarly, the flower type name is recorded in the flower type. When generating the data item of the person name, the CPU 401 reads a template recorded in the person image database DB1 (see FIG. 11). Further, when generating a flower type data item, the CPU 401 reads a template recorded in the flower type database DB2 (see FIG. 11). A template is image data that serves as a reference for comparison with image data of an input image. The CPU 401 compares the template and the image data of the input image, and identifies the subject of the input image. In the person image database DB1, person image data serving as a template and the name of the subject in the person image are recorded in association with each other. Similarly, in the flower image database DB2, flower image data serving as a template and the type name of the flower in the flower image are recorded in association with each other.

  When the template is read, the CPU 401 compares the input image data and the template by, for example, pattern matching processing. As a result of the comparison, if the template read from the person image database DB1 matches the image data, the CPU 401 generates a data item of the person name in the metadata file. Then, the CPU 401 records the person name associated with the template and recorded in the person image database DB1, for example, the person A in FIG. If the template of the flower type database DB2 matches the image data, a flower type data item is generated in the CPU 401 metadata file. Then, the flower type name recorded in the flower type database DB2, for example, cherry blossom in FIG. 10, is recorded in the data item of the flower type.

  Person name and flower type data items can be manually updated by user operation. For example, when an image obtained by photographing a plum flower is analyzed as a cherry by pattern matching processing, the user can change the data item of the flower type to plum. The person name and flower type name can be changed based on the result of the user starting the image management software and executing the pattern matching process again. For example, if pattern matching processing is performed on an image where the flower type name is recorded as cherry, and the flower type is determined to be cosmos, the flower type name is changed from cherry to cosmos. Can do.

  When manually updated, the CPU 401 adds a manual update flag to the manually updated data item as an identifier indicating that the data has been manually updated. In the manual update flag, an update date and time indicating the date and time of manual update is recorded. As will be described later, this manual update flag is used to determine whether to update the data item of the metadata file recorded in the viewer 100 when the viewer 100 reads the image file. Used by RISC 110.

(Metadata file generation by personal computer)
Next, generation of a metadata file by the CPU 401 will be described. FIG. 11 shows an outline of generating a resized image file and a metadata file. When inputting an image file from the electronic camera 200, the CPU 401 generates a resized image file and a metadata file and records them in the HDD 402. That is, as shown in FIG. A resized image file having a size of 2 million pixels from the image data of jpg. rsz is generated and recorded in the HDD 402. Further, the image file A.I. jpg metadata to metadata file Ameta. txt is generated and recorded in the HDD 402. When generating the metadata file, the CPU 401 performs pattern matching processing on the read image data with reference to the person image DB 1 and the flower image DB 2 to generate data characterizing the subject.

  When the image management software is activated by the user and an instruction to start image input is given, the CPU 401 inputs an image file from the electronic camera 200 connected via a USB cable or the like via the external interface 406. Alternatively, the CPU 401 inputs an image file via the memory card interface 403 when the memory card 301 is connected. Then, the CPU 401 selects image files one by one from the input image files (hereinafter referred to as input image files), and proceeds to the next processing.

  If the selected input image file is “A.jpg”, the CPU 401 compares the metadata recorded in the tag portion of the selected input image file with the metadata file already recorded in the HDD 402. At this time, the CPU 401 determines whether or not a metadata file in which all information of the shooting date / time, the shooting camera identifier, and the number of pixels recorded in the metadata of the input image file matches is recorded in the HDD 402. As a result of the determination, if a matching metadata file is recorded, the CPU 401 detects an image file corresponding to the metadata file (hereinafter referred to as a matching image file). If a plurality of matching image files are detected, the CPU 401 selects one by one from the detected matching image files, and proceeds to the next process.

  If the matching image file is in the HDD 402, the CPU 401 compares the image data of the input image file with the image data of the matching image file. The data comparison can be performed based on whether or not the RGB values of corresponding pixels of the two image data match. The CPU 401 compares RGB values, for example, every 20 pixels from the pixel set first at the determination coordinate i in the image data. If the RGB values do not match, the CPU 401 determines that the respective image data are different. If the RGB values match, the CPU 401 determines that the image data matches, and deletes the input image file.

  If the metadata does not match, or if the input image file and the image data of the matching image file do not match, the CPU 401 uses the image data of the input image file to generate data items for the person name and flower type of the metadata file. . The CPU 401 compares the image data of the input image file with the person image database DB1 and the flower image database DB2 stored in the image management software. The pattern matching process described above is used for the comparison.

  If the image data includes an image that matches the person image database DB2 as a result of the comparison, the CPU 401 generates a data item of the person name of the metadata. If the image data includes an image that matches the flower image database DB2, the CPU 401 generates a data item of the type of metadata flower. The CPU 401 uses the person name data item and the flower type data item generated as described above, the photographing camera identifier and image data identifier recorded in the tag portion of the input image file, version information of the image management software, meta data A metadata file “Ameta.txt” is generated using the data generation date and time information. The CPU 401 records the generated metadata file “Ameta.txt” in the resized image folder of the HDD 402.

  Further, the CPU 401 resizes the image data of the input image file to image data having a size of 2 million pixels. Then, the CPU 401 creates a resized image file “A.rsz” and records it in the resized image folder of the HDD 402. If an image file having the same file name has already been recorded in the HDD 402, the CPU 402 changes the file name of the resized image file generated from the input image file. In this case, the CPU 401 changes the file name of the generated resized image file by adding a character such as “_01” at the end.

(Reading image files and metadata files by viewer)
Next, a process performed when the RISC 110 of the viewer 100 reads the resized image file “A.rsz” and the metadata file “Ameta.txt” generated by the personal computer 400 will be described. The resized image file and the metadata file read by the viewer 100 are recorded in the resized image file folder F1 of the HDD 114 by the RISC 110. As will be described later, the RISC 110 determines whether or not the metadata file needs to be updated based on the metadata version recorded in the metadata file, the metadata generation date and time, and the presence / absence of manually input metadata items. .

  When the viewer 100 and the personal computer 400 are connected by a USB cable or the like, and a signal for instructing start of image transmission is input via the USB interface 125 by the operation of the operation unit 404 of the user's personal computer 400, the RISC 110 starts reading the image file. To do. At this time, the RISC 110 receives the resized image file, the metadata file, and the transmission image list from the personal computer 400. In the transmission image list, file names of image files that the personal computer 400 transmits to the viewer 100 are recorded. That is, the RISC 110 can determine the presence / absence of an image file read from the personal computer 400 and an uninput image file based on the transmission image list.

  When the RISC 110 reads the resized image file and the metadata file, the RISC 110 temporarily stores them in the SDRAM 111. Further, the RISC 110 writes all the metadata files recorded in advance in the HDD 114 to the SDRAM 111. The RISC 110 reads one resized image file from among the read resized image files, for example, the file name is A.R. Select an rsz resized image file. The RISC 110 stores the resized image file A.1. The metadata file Ameta. A metadata file in which all the data items of txt (shooting date and time, shooting camera identifier, number of pixels of the original image, and number of pixels of the resized image) match is searched from the metadata file written in the SDRAM 111.

-If the metadata does not match-
As a result of the search, if a metadata file that matches the metadata file of the newly-selected resized image file is not written in the SDRAM 111, the RISC 110 stores the same file as the read resized image file in the HDD 114. Judge that it is not recorded. The RISC 110 then reads the resized image file A.A. rsz and the metadata file Ameta. txt is recorded in the resized image file folder F1 of the HDD 114. If an image file having the same file name has already been recorded in the HDD 114, the RISC 110 reads the file name A.B of the read resized image file. rsz and the metadata file Ameta. Change txt. In this case, the RISC 110 changes the file names of the read resized image file and metadata file by adding characters such as “_01” at the end.

-When metadata matches and image data does not match-
When a metadata file that matches the metadata file of the newly-selected resized image file is written in the SDRAM 111, the RISC 110 reads the resized image file (hereinafter referred to as the matching image file) corresponding to the matching metadata file. ) Is read out. The RISC 110 then reads the resized image file A.A. The rsz image data is compared with the image data of the matching image file. The RISC 110 performs data comparison according to whether or not the RGB values of the corresponding pixels of the two image data match in the same manner as the CPU 401 of the personal computer 400. If the RGB values do not match, the RISC 110 determines that the respective image data are different. The RISC 110 then reads the resized image file A.A. rsz and the metadata file Ameta. txt is recorded in the resized image file folder F1 of the HDD 114. If an image file having the same file name is already recorded in the HDD 114, the RISC 110 adds the file names of the read resized image file and metadata file, and finally adds characters such as “_01”. And change.

-When metadata matches and image data matches-
Resized image file read in A. If the RGB values of the image data of the matching image file match the image data of rsz, the RISC 110 reads the resized image file A.R. Delete rsz. Then, the RISC 110 stores the metadata file Ameta. The metadata version of the metadata file corresponding to txt and the matching image file (hereinafter referred to as the matching metadata file) or the metadata generation date and time are compared. As a result of the comparison, the read metadata file Ameta. If the metadata version of txt or the date and time when the metadata is generated is older, the RISC 110 reads the metadata file Ameta. Delete txt.

  The metadata file Ameta. If the metadata version or metadata generation date / time of txt is newer, the RISC 110 updates the data item of the metadata version or metadata generation date / time of the matching metadata file. That is, the RISC 110 reads the metadata item of the matching metadata file or the data item of the metadata generation date and time from the read metadata file Ameta. Rewrite to the contents recorded in the metadata version of txt or the metadata generation date and time.

  Further, the RISC 110 determines whether or not there is a manual update flag for the data items that can be manually updated in the read metadata file and the matching metadata file, that is, the data items of person name and flower type. If there is no manual update flag in the data item of the matching metadata file, the RISC 110 updates the data item of the matching metadata file to the data item of the read metadata file.

  If there is a manual update flag in the data item of the matching metadata file, the RISC 110 determines that the matching metadata file and the read metadata file Ameta. The new and old of the update date and time added to each manual update flag of the corresponding data item of txt are compared. The metadata file Ameta. If the update date / time of the data item txt is newer, the RISC 110 updates the data item of the matching metadata file. That is, the RISC 110 rewrites the content of the data item of the matching metadata file to the content recorded in the data item of the read metadata file. The metadata file Ameta. If the update date / time of the data item txt is older, the RISC 110 does not update the data item of the matching metadata file. The RISC 110 records the metadata file in the HDD 114 after performing the above-described comparison of the update date and time and the update process of the data items for all the data items that can be manually changed.

The metadata file creation processing by the CPU 401 described above will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. A program for performing each process of FIG. 12 is stored in the HDD 402. This program is executed by the CPU 401 when the image management software is activated by a user operation. Each step in FIG. 12 is a process executed based on a command from the CPU 401.
In step S301, the image file recorded on the memory card 301 is input via the memory card interface 403, and the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, one image file is selected from the input image files, and the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, it is determined whether or not a matching image file having metadata that matches all the metadata items (shooting date and time, shooting camera identifier, and number of pixels) of the image file selected in step S302 is recorded in the HDD 402. judge. If a matching image file exists, an affirmative determination is made in step S303 and the process proceeds to step S304. If no matching image file exists, the process skips to step S308.

  In step S304, one image file is selected from the matching image files, and the process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, the initial value i of the determination coordinate in the coincidence image file selected in step S304 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to step S306. In step S306, the determination coordinate i of the input image file selected in step S302 is compared with the pixel at the determination coordinate i of the matching image file selected in step S304, and the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S307, it is determined whether or not the RGB values of the two pixels at the determination coordinate i compared in step S306 do not match. If the RGB values do not match, an affirmative determination is made in step S307 and the process proceeds to step S308. If the RGB values match, an affirmative decision is made in step S307 and the operation proceeds to step S318. In step S318, 20 is added to determination coordinate i, and the process proceeds to step S319. In step S319, it is determined whether or not the value of the determination coordinate i set in step S318 is larger than the total number of pixels of the input image file. When the value of the determination coordinate i is large, an affirmative determination is made in step S319 and the process proceeds to step S320. If the value of the determination coordinate i is small, a negative determination is made in step S319 and the process returns to step S306.

  In step S320, since the input image file is the same image as the matching image file, the input image file is deleted and the process proceeds to step S321. In step S321, it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all the matching image files determined to have the same metadata in step S303. When the process is completed for all the matching image files, an affirmative determination is made in step S321 and the process returns to step S302. If the process has not been completed for all matching image files, a negative determination is made in step S321 and the process returns to step S304.

  In step S308, it is determined whether or not there is an image that matches the person image DB1 by pattern matching processing for the image data of the input image file. If there is a matching image, an affirmative determination is made in step S308 and the process proceeds to step S309. In step S309, a person name item of metadata is generated, the person name is recorded in the generated item, and the process proceeds to step S310.

  If there is no image that matches the person image DB1, a negative determination is made in step S308, and step S309 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S310. In step S310, the image data of the selected input image file is determined by pattern matching processing to determine whether there is an image that matches the flower image DB2. If there is a matching image, an affirmative determination is made in step S310 and the process proceeds to step S311. In step S311, a flower type item of metadata is generated, a flower type name is recorded in the generated item, and the process proceeds to step S312.

  If there is no image that matches the flower image DB2, a negative determination is made in step S310, and step S311 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S312. In step S312, the image data of the input image file is resized to 2 million pixels, and the process proceeds to step S313. In step S 313, it is determined whether an image file having the same file name as the input image file is recorded in the HDD 402. If image files with the same file name are recorded, an affirmative decision is made in step S313 and the operation proceeds to step S314. In step S314, the file name of the input image file is changed and the process proceeds to step S315.

  If no image file with the same file name is recorded in the HDD 402, a negative determination is made in step S313, and the process skips step S314 and proceeds to step S315. In step S315, a resized image file is generated based on the image data resized in step S312, recorded in the HDD 402, and the process proceeds to step S316. In step S316, a metadata file to which metadata version information, metadata generation date / time, photographing camera identifier, and image data identifier are added is generated, recorded in the HDD 402, and the process proceeds to step S317. In step S317, it is determined whether or not processing has been completed for all the image files input in step S301. When the processing has been completed for all the image files, an affirmative determination is made in step S317, and the series of processing ends. If there is an image file that has not been processed, a negative determination is made in step S317, and the process returns to step S302.

The resize image file and metadata file read processing by the above-described RISC 110 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. A program for performing each process of FIG. 13 is stored in a memory (not shown) in the RISC 110. This program is executed by the RISC 110 when a signal instructing the start of image transmission is input from the personal computer 400 via the USB interface 125 by a user operation. Each step in FIG. 13 is a process executed based on a command from RISC 110.
In step S401, reading of the image file, metadata file, and transmission image list is started, and the process proceeds to step S402. In step S402, it is determined whether there is an image file that has been read. If there is an image file that has been read, an affirmative decision is made in step S402 and the operation proceeds to step S403. If there is no image file that has been read, a negative determination is made in step S402 to proceed to step S424. In step S424, the process waits for a predetermined time and returns to step S402.

  In step S403, one image file is selected from the image files that have been read in step S402, and the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, there is a metadata file in which all of the data items of the metadata file corresponding to the image file selected in step S403 (the shooting date and time, the shooting camera identifier, the number of pixels of the original image, and the number of pixels of the resized image) match. It is determined whether or not it is recorded on the HDD 114. If a matching metadata file is recorded, an affirmative decision is made in step S404 and the operation proceeds to step S405. If no matching metadata file is recorded, a negative determination is made in step S404 and the process proceeds to step 425.

  In step S425, it is determined whether or not a resized image file having a file name that matches the file name of the read image file is recorded in the HDD 114. If a resized image file with a matching file name is recorded, an affirmative decision is made in step S425 and the operation proceeds to step S426. In step S426, the file names of the read image file and metadata file are changed, and the process proceeds to step S427.

  If a resized image file having a matching file name is not recorded on the HDD 114, a negative determination is made in step S425, the process skips step S426 and proceeds to step S427. In step S427, the read image file and metadata file are recorded in HDD 114, and the process proceeds to step S428. In step S428, it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all the image files read in step S402. When the processing has been completed for all the image files, an affirmative determination is made in step S428 and the process proceeds to step S429. If the processing has not been completed for all the image files, a negative determination is made in step S428, and the process returns to step S403. In step S429, the presence / absence of an uninput image file is determined based on the transmission image list. If there is no uninput image file, an affirmative determination is made in step S429 and the series of processing ends. If there is an uninput image file, a negative determination is made in step S429 and the process returns to step S402.

  In step S405, in which the determination is affirmative in step S404, one image file is selected from the matching image files, and the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, the initial value i of the determination coordinate in the coincidence image file selected in step S405 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, the determination coordinate i of the image file selected in step S403 is compared with the pixel at the determination coordinate i of the matching image file selected in step S405, and the process proceeds to step S408.

  In step S408, it is determined whether or not the RGB values of the two pixels at the determination coordinate i compared in step S407 do not match. If the RGB values do not match, an affirmative determination is made in step S408 and the process proceeds to step S409. If the RGB values match, a negative determination is made in step S408 and the process proceeds to step S413.

  Each processing from step S409 (determining whether there is an image file with a matching file name) to step S411 (recording an image file and metadata file) is performed from step S425 (determining whether there is an image file with a matching file name) to step S427 ( The same processing as the processing up to (image file and metadata file recording) is performed. In step S <b> 412, it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all the matching image files whose metadata match. When the process is completed for all the matching image files, an affirmative determination is made in step S412 and the process proceeds to step S428. If the process has not been completed for all the matching image files, a negative determination is made in step S412 and the process proceeds to step S405.

  In step S413, in which the negative determination is made in step S408, 20 is added to the determination coordinate i, and the process proceeds to step S414. In step S414, it is determined whether or not the value of the determination coordinate i set in step S413 is larger than the total number of pixels of the input image file. When the value of the determination coordinate i is large, an affirmative determination is made in step S414 and the process proceeds to step S415. When the value of the determination coordinate i is small, a negative determination is made in step S3414, and the process returns to step S407.

  In step S415, since the read image file is the same image as the matching image file, the read image file is deleted and the process proceeds to step S416. In step S416, the metadata version of the read metadata file and the matching metadata file or the new and old of the metadata file generation date are compared. If the metadata version or the metadata generation date / time of the read metadata file is newer, an affirmative decision is made in step S416 and the operation proceeds to step S417. If the metadata version or the metadata generation date / time of the read metadata file is older, a negative determination is made in step S416 and the process proceeds to step S428.

  In step S417, either the metadata version or the metadata generation date / time of the matching metadata file is updated, and the process proceeds to step S418. In step S418, one item is selected from the manually updateable data items in the matching metadata file, and the flow advances to step S419. In step S419, it is determined whether or not a manual flag is set for the metadata item selected in step S418. When the manual flag is not set, an affirmative determination is made in step S419 and the process proceeds to step S420. When the manual flag is set, a negative determination is made in step S419, and the process proceeds to step S421.

  In step S421, it is determined whether or not the update date and time of the read metadata file is older than the update date and time of the matching metadata file in the data item selected in step S418. If the update date and time of the read metadata file is older, an affirmative determination is made in step S421 and the process proceeds to step S422. If the updated date and time of the read metadata file is newer, a negative determination is made in step S421 and the process proceeds to step S420. In step S420, the data item of the matching metadata file selected in step S418 is updated to the data item of the read metadata file, and the process proceeds to step S422.

  In step S422, it is determined whether or not processing has been completed for all manually updatable data items in the metadata file. When the processing is completed for all data items, an affirmative determination is made in step S422 and the process proceeds to step S423. In step S423, the metadata file is recorded in HDD 114, and the process proceeds to step S428. If processing has not been completed for all items in the metadata file, a negative determination is made in step S422 and the process returns to step S418.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) The RISC 110 reads a resized image file and a metadata file characterizing the image data of the resized image file from an external device such as the personal computer 400. The RISC 110 compares the read image data of the resized image file and the image data of the resized image file in the viewer 100 to determine whether or not they are the same image data. The RISC 110 compares the read metadata file with the new and old metadata files in the viewer 100. Even if the read image data and the image data already held by the viewer 100 are the same image data, if the read metadata file is newer, the RISC 110 determines the contents of the metadata file in the viewer 100 as follows. Update the contents of the read metadata file. Therefore, when the image file is read, the metadata is updated but the image data is not updated, so that the time required for the reading process can be shortened. Further, the contents of metadata can be recorded in the latest state.

(2) The metadata file has data items that cannot be manually updated by the user and data items that can be manually updated. Data items that cannot be manually updated include shooting conditions such as image data identifiers and shooting camera identifiers at the time of image shooting, version information of image management software, and metadata file creation date / time information. In the data item that can be manually updated, information for identifying the subject such as the name of the subject is recorded. The RISC 110 then reads the image data in the viewer 100 and the image data in the viewer 100 when there is a metadata file in the viewer 100 that matches the content recorded in the data item that cannot be manually updated. Compare matches with. Therefore, since the image data of the image file corresponding to the metadata file whose data items do not match is compared, the processing time for specifying the image data to be recorded is shortened compared to the case of comparing the image data from the beginning. be able to.

(3) When a manual update flag, which is an identifier indicating that manual update has been performed, is added to the manually updateable data item of the metadata file recorded in the viewer 100, the RISC 110 adds the manual update flag. Data items are not updated. Therefore, since the contents updated by the user are not changed, it is not necessary for the user to perform the manual update setting operation again, thereby improving usability.

(4) The RISC 110 compares the update date and time added to the manual update flag, and if the update date and time of the manual update of the read metadata file is newer, the corresponding data item of the metadata file in the viewer Is updated to the contents of the data item of the read metadata file. Therefore, the contents of the metadata file in the viewer 100 can always be recorded in the latest state.

The embodiment described above can be modified as follows.
(1) Data indicating the characteristics of each image file may be recorded in the metadata management table common to all the resized image files recorded in the HDD 402 of the personal computer 400 or the HDD 114 of the viewer 100. Alternatively, EXIF data recorded in the header portion assigned to each resized image file may be used. In this case, the metadata file is not necessary.

(2) When the RISC 110 inputs a signal instructing start of image transmission from the personal computer 400, the RISC 110 starts reading processing of the resized image file and the metadata file from the personal computer 400. However, the resize image file and metadata file transmission request signals may be transmitted from the RISC 110 to the personal computer 400 via the USB interface 125 to start the reading process. In this case, when the user selects “image capture” on the menu screen, the RISC 110 transmits a transmission request signal to the personal computer 400.

(3) The viewer 100 reads the image file and the metadata file from the personal computer 400 via the USB cable. However, the image file and the metadata file recorded on the memory card 301 may be read via the memory card interface 120. In this case, when “image capture” on the menu screen is selected by the user, the RISC 110 transmits a transmission request signal for the image file and the metadata file to the memory card 301 and starts the reading process.

(4) Although the manually updated data items in the metadata file are person names and flower types, the manually updated data items are not limited to these two, and may be data items that characterize subjects such as animals. That's fine. Also, new data items can be added based on the result of analysis using a newly added algorithm as the image management software is upgraded.

(5) It is also possible to enhance the functions of existing users via the Internet or via a portable recording medium when the program is upgraded. Therefore, the program of FIG. 13 can be applied to such version-up software. For example, the program of FIG. 13 can be configured as an image browsing program having the following processes (a) to (f).
(A) Image data reading process for reading an image file having image data from an external device (b) Feature data reading process for reading image feature data characterizing image data (c) Recording for recording the read image data in a storage medium Process (d) Image data determination process for determining whether the read image data of the read image file and the recorded image data of the image file recorded in advance on the recording medium are the same image data (e) Feature data determination process for determining whether the image feature data corresponding to the image data is newer than the image feature data corresponding to the recorded image data. (F) The read image data and the recorded image data are determined to be the same image data. And the image feature data corresponding to the read image data is newer than the image feature data corresponding to the recorded image data, Updating process of updating the image feature data corresponding to the recording image data in the image feature data corresponding to the read image data

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired, and other forms conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also within the scope of the present invention. included.

It is a figure explaining the external appearance of the viewer in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram explaining the principal part structure of the viewer in embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the data management in HDD of a viewer. It is a figure explaining an example of the contents of a viewer image management table. It is a figure explaining an example of the content of a display priority table. It is a figure explaining the mode of the image display in a viewer. It is a figure explaining the mode of the thumbnail image display in a viewer. It is a figure explaining the menu structure of a viewer. It is a figure explaining the structural example of the personal computer which can produce | generate a resized image. It is a figure explaining the data item of the metadata file in embodiment. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of a resized image file and a metadata file production | generation process. It is a flowchart explaining the metadata file creation process in the personal computer by embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the image file and metadata file reading process in the viewer by embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 viewer 110 RISC
111 SDRAM 114 HDD
400 PC 401 CPU
402 HDD

Claims (5)

First image data, and a write-free reading means reads the first feature data characterizing the first image data from the external device,
Recording means for recording the first image data and the first feature data on a recording medium;
Whether the second image data recorded on the recording medium before the recording means records the first image data and the first feature data is the same image data as the first image data. Image data determination means for determining;
And characteristic data determination means for determining whether the first feature data is new data from the second feature data characterizing the second image data,
The image data determination means determines that the first image data and the second image data are the same image data, and the feature data determination means determines that the first feature data is newer than the second feature data. If it is determined, the image browsing device comprising an update means for updating the second feature data with the first feature data ,
The first feature data and the second feature data include a first data item to which an identifier is added when manual update is performed by a user, and a second data item that cannot be manually updated by the user,
The image browsing device , wherein the updating means does not update the first data item of the second feature data when the identifier is added to the first data item of the second feature data . The image browsing device according to claim 1,
The identifier has update date information indicating the date and time of the manual update,
The update means is configured when the update date and time information of the first feature data is newer than the update date and time information of the second feature data even when the identifier is added to the first data item. Updates the first data item of the second feature data . In the image browsing device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The first data item includes information for specifying a subject,
The image browsing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second data item includes information for specifying a shooting condition . In the image browsing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
When the feature data determination unit determines that at least one of the first and second data items matches, the image data determination unit determines that the first image data and the second image data are the same image data. An image browsing apparatus characterized by determining whether or not there is . The image browsing device according to claim 4 ,
The image browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature data determination unit determines a match between the first feature data and the second feature data based on the second data item .

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