JP5372219B2 - Camera with image transmission function and image transmission method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera with an image transmission function, which can correspond to a case when an image and a text are to be disclosed in a set and a case when the image is to be disclosed without the text and can perform appropriate imaging even when the text is previously transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: The camera with the image transmission function transmitting the image to a sentence-with-image disclosure device determines whether the transmitted image is the image to be disclosed with the text or the image to be disclosed without the text (S173), and transmits the image with a signal with which the sentence-with-image disclosure device can determine that effect (S174, S175). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

The present invention is directed to a camera with an image transmission function for managing an image-added text or an image without a text made up of an image and text created by an individual and transmitting the image to an image-added text publishing device for external publication. And an image transmission method .

At the present time when networks such as the Internet have become widespread, it has become possible to publish personal homepages (HP). Recently, a so-called blog (WebLog), which is easier to create than HP, is available. Various ideas to make this blog easier to use have also been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an image diary creation / publishing system that allows users to upload images and comments to a web server in a free form as if they were making a diary every day. In this proposal, since images and comments are organized in units of uploads and users, it is not necessary to edit albums on the web server. When an image or comment is uploaded, the web server automatically performs editing work, so that the user is not required to perform complicated operations during uploading and can be used easily.

In addition, since a user carries a mobile phone every day and the mobile phone is convenient for creating a sentence, the mobile phone is actively used for creating a blog. Paying attention to the fact that mobile phones are always carried in this way, Patent Document 2 proposes a mobile phone that urges the user to regularly send an image of a subject every day. The diary data transmission notification unit of the mobile phone disclosed in Patent Document 2 displays a notification (message) that prompts the user to transmit diary data on the display unit. This display prompts the user to transmit diary data, and transmits the diary data to the server.

Next, a general operation when the user creates an image-containing blog will be described using the flowchart of FIG. First, the user gets an idea for a blog post or makes a concept (S201). When the concept is solidified, the process proceeds to step S202.

Based on this concept, an attempt is made to capture a subject image in step S202. If the camera is at hand and the subject is in the immediate vicinity (YES at S202), shooting is performed at S203. If there is no camera at hand or if it is necessary to go to a place where the subject is present (NO in S202) and there is time for text creation (YES in S204), the text is created first. There is a case (S205). This text creation is performed by a personal computer (PC) connected to the Internet. When the text and the image are ready, the blog posting manuscript is completed (YES in S206), and the text and image are sent as a set to the server (S207). This completes the blog posting.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-084901 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-260689

In the conventional method as shown in FIG. 11, the user can transmit only after setting both the image and the text. However, there are cases where the user always wants to publish an image without text as well as a case where the user wants to publish the image and text as a set, but the conventional method cannot cope with it.

In addition, a camera-equipped mobile phone as introduced in Patent Document 2 has a great merit that image shooting and text creation can be performed simultaneously. However, a mobile phone camera is disadvantageous in that it cannot obtain an image with sufficient image quality or a desired shooting condition. For those who are particular about the image, use a digital camera or movie to shoot the image, go home after shooting, create a sentence using a PC in the room, attach the shot image, and send it to the site as a completed blog Yes.

When taking a picture with a digital camera or the like, if a sentence is first created and transmitted to the site, the user must take a picture while remembering what kind of sentence has been sent. If you can't remember clearly, it is difficult to capture an image that is appropriate for the previously sent text.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can deal with both cases where an image and text are desired to be published as a set and when an image is desired to be published without text. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera with an image transmission function capable of appropriate photographing even when transmitted.

In order to achieve the above object, a camera with an image transmission function according to a first aspect of the present invention obtains an image-attached text or an image without text composed of an image and text from the network, and the image-added text or text-less image is obtained from the network. In a camera with an image transmission function for transmitting an image to a text publishing apparatus with an image that is disclosed to the outside via the image, the image to be transmitted is an image that is disclosed together with the text or an image that is disclosed without requiring text A transmission unit that transmits the image with a signal that can be determined by the image publishing apparatus with the image.

An image transmission method according to a second aspect of the present invention is an image obtained by obtaining a text-with-image or text-free image composed of an image and text from a network, and publishing the text-with-image or text-free image to the outside via the network. In an image transmission method for transmitting an image from a camera with an image transmission function to an attached text publishing device, whether the image to be transmitted is an image to be disclosed together with the text or an image to be disclosed without the need for text. Then, a signal that can be determined by the image publishing device is given, and the image is transmitted .

According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with both the case where it is desired to publish an image and text as a set and the case where it is desired to publish an image without text, and an image that can be appropriately photographed even when the text is transmitted first. A camera with a transmission function and an image transmission method can be provided.

1 is a system block diagram of a blog support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the camera used with the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the user's posting operation in the blog support system according to an embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a main routine, (B) is a camera processing subroutine, (C) is a mobile phone processing subroutine. It is. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of the site server process in the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of site server image reception in the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for receiving information such as site server date and time and a subroutine for receiving site server text in the blog support system according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A-1) is a subroutine for receiving information such as site server date and time; -2) is a subroutine for receiving site server text, (B) is the operation of the corresponding carrier server, and (C) is a flowchart showing the operation of the corresponding mobile phone. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of a site server public request reception in the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the keyword transmission process to the camera in the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that it image | photographs, referring the keyword transmitted from the site server in the blog assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation mode of a single camera in the blog support system according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a main routine, (B) is a shooting mode subroutine, (C) is a playback mode subroutine, (C ) Is a flowchart showing a transmission mode subroutine. It is a flowchart which shows the user's contribution operation in the past.

A preferred embodiment will be described below using a blog creation support system to which the present invention is applied according to the drawings. The blog creation support system to which the present invention is applied can support simple blog creation without hassle by creating text on a mobile phone or the like and effectively using an image display function of a device such as a mobile phone.

FIG. 1 shows a system block diagram of a blog creation support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera 10 used by the user is connected to a personal computer (PC) 32, and the PC 32 is connected to a network 35. In the network 35, there is a blog server that manages blogs. The blog site is provided with a site server 51 for storing and managing blog data. The site server 51 manages the blog posted by each user so that it can be browsed via the network 35 in response to each user's request. A user who wants to browse a blog can access the site server 51 through the PC 34 and browse a blog composed of, for example, text 37b and an image 33a.

Inside the site server 51, a CPU 60 that reads a program recorded in a ROM (not shown) and controls the entire site server 51, image data of an image 33a transmitted from the user's PC 32, and a mobile phone 36 are used. A recording unit 52 for storing text data of the transmitted text 37a and a resizing unit 53 for reducing the data amount of the image 33a transmitted from the PC 32 and resizing it to a size that can be easily transmitted by a mobile phone. Is provided. Also, in the site server 51, a user determination unit 54 for determining a user from a mobile phone telephone number, an Internet mail address, etc., for transmitting image data resized to the mobile phone number, etc. A portable transmission unit 55 is provided.

Further, the site server 51 includes an access reaction unit 58 for responding when an external device such as the PC 34 accesses the site server 51 through the network 35, and the PC 34 or the like includes an image 33b and a text 37b. A display control unit 59 for displaying a blog or the like to be displayed is provided. Inside the site server 51, a keyword extraction unit 61 for extracting a keyword for recognizing an image from text recorded in the recording unit 52, and a camera for communicating with the camera 10 through the network 35 and the PC 32 A communication unit 62 and a blog determination unit 63 that detects an association between an image and text recorded in the recording unit 52 and determines that both the image and the text are prepared are provided.

A carrier server 41 operated by a mobile phone management company exists on the network 35. The carrier server 41 is provided with a site server cooperation unit 42 and a position determination unit 43. The site server cooperation unit 42 transmits the blog data from the mobile phone 36 to the site server 51. The position determination unit 43 determines the current position of the mobile phone 36 from GPS information and the location of the received base station. The text 37 a created and transmitted by the mobile phone 36 is transmitted to the site server 51 via the carrier server 41.

Next, the operation of the blog creation support system will be described. A registered user can connect the image 33a taken by the camera 10 through an Internet connection device such as the PC 32 (directly connected to the Internet via a wireless LAN or the like), and the site server 51 of the blog site that manages blog posting (publishing text with images) Image data to the device. The site server 51 stores the image data of the image 33a in the recording unit 52. A sentence (text) related to the image 33 a created by the mobile phone 36 is transmitted to the site server 51 by the site server cooperation unit 42 of the carrier server 41 and recorded in the recording unit 52.

The access reaction unit 58 determines a browsing request (access) from another user's PC 34, and the display control unit 59 displays the image and text in response to the access. However, if the image and text are not complete, it is often not completed as a blog article. In that case, the display control unit 59 prohibits the display of the blog. When the received data is only an image and no text, the site server 51 sends a mail with the resized image resized by the resize unit 53 to the mobile phone 36 of the user who sent the image via the mobile transmission unit 55. Send back. At this time, the user determination unit 54 determines the address and the like of the user's mobile phone 36.

The user who has received the reduced image operates the cellular phone 36 when he / she has time, creates a text 37a related to the image 33a, and transmits it to the site server 51. At the time of text creation, the reduced image transmitted from the site server 51 is displayed on the mobile phone 36 to assist text creation. When the site server 51 receives the text sent from the mobile phone 36, the user determination unit 54 identifies the user, and the associating unit 57 associates the previously received image with the text. The text data is recorded in the recording unit 52. In this way, a set of blog articles is completed, and a high-quality image 33a by the camera 10 and a text 37a created by the mobile phone 36 or the like are combined.

When the text 37a and the image 33a are set, the site server 51 permits browsing access from other users. If browsing is permitted, it is possible to browse a blog article composed of these images 33b and articles 37b on the PC 34 of another user. If these are not available, display may be prohibited. However, the person who created the blog is allowed to display even if the image and text (article) are not complete.

Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a user can create an article (text) anywhere using a mobile phone. In addition, since the resized image is transmitted from the site server 51 and an article can be created while viewing the resized image, it is possible to confirm which image (text) is written to which image, and the image and the article. No mismatches. In addition, when mail arrives from the site server 51, there is no need to forget to write, and articles and images are recorded on the site whenever possible, so it is not necessary to manage the blog.

Next, the camera 10 used in the blog creation support system (image management apparatus) to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the camera 10. The image management apparatus mainly includes an image determination unit, an image processing unit, a display control unit, an MPU, and a ROM, which will be described later.

The camera 10 includes a photographic lens unit 2, an AF (autofocus) control unit 2a, a diaphragm unit 3, a diaphragm control unit 3a, an image sensor 4, and an analog front end (hereinafter abbreviated as AFE) unit 5. The taking lens unit 2 has a focus lens inside, and forms an image of the incident subject 20 on the image sensor 4. The AF control unit 2a detects the in-focus position of the photographic lens unit 2 by a so-called hill-climbing method, drives the focus lens, and moves it to the in-focus position. Note that the hill-climbing method is a method for detecting the in-focus position (focus position) from the contrast signal peak of the photographed image. In addition to the hill-climbing method, for example, a known focusing method such as a phase difference method or a triangulation method can be used. It may be replaced.

In or near the photographic lens unit 2, a diaphragm unit 3 that provides shutter and diaphragm effects is provided. The diaphragm unit 3 opens to a predetermined aperture at the time of photographing, and closes to end the exposure when the exposure ends. The aperture control unit 3a drives the aperture unit 3 to set the aperture diameter. By changing the aperture, the depth of field of the lens changes, so you can change the expression by adjusting the blurring of the background, etc. Can do. In this way, if you set the aperture value on a blog via the network, you can learn know-how by looking at photos of your friends. The image pickup device 4 is a CCD, a CMOS sensor or the like having a large number of light receiving surfaces (pixels). The image sensor 4 receives an image from the subject 20 via the photographing lens unit 2 and converts it into an image signal.

The analog front end (AFE) unit 5 includes analog-to-digital conversion (AD) means, and converts a signal from the image sensor 4 into a digital signal. The AFE unit 5 performs various processes on the image signal output from the image sensor 4. The AFE unit 5 is also provided with a function of reading several pixels of the image sensor 4 in a lump. For example, when the signal level of each pixel is small, such as 4 pixels (2 × 2) and 9 pixels (3 × 3), several pixel signals can be added to improve the S / N. Sensitivity can be increased by such an operation. In this way, S / N can be improved by adding and using several pixel signals of the same color of the image sensor.

By such an operation, the sensitivity can be increased, and it is possible to devise photography such as increasing the shutter speed. When the shutter speed is high, it is possible to shoot as if the moving subject is stopped. For cameras that allow the user to switch the shutter speed and control the exposure appropriately by controlling the aperture and sensitivity, if the shutter speed is generally slowed down, for example, when shooting a river flow, the water flow is like a thread. This makes it possible to depict images that have been extended. If you increase the shutter speed, you can capture the same river flow, capture the moment, and make it possible to reproduce the moment when the splashes rise and the state of ripples. Even in sports photos, if the shutter speed is increased, the movement of the subject can be stopped, and the facial expression can be clearly captured. How to set the shutter speed in this way also becomes valuable know-how at the time of shooting, and in a communication environment through the network as the present invention aims, it becomes a topic that is desired to be shared with friends. You may blog this data along with the image.

The AFE unit 5 also has a function of selecting image signals output from the image sensor 4 and can extract a limited range of image data from all light receiving surfaces. If an image of only a predetermined area is recorded by this control, an effect similar to so-called trimming can be obtained.

The camera 10 is provided with an image processing unit 6. The image processing unit 6 corrects the color, gradation, and sharpness of the input signal. The image processing unit 6 includes resizing means for processing the signal from the image sensor 4 into a size that can be displayed on the display unit so that the live image can be displayed on the display unit in real time. By this function, an image incident on the image sensor can be confirmed prior to shooting, and the timing and photo opportunity at the time of shooting can be determined while viewing this. The image processing unit 6 is also provided with a sensitizing unit 6a that automatically increases the ISO sensitivity for a dark subject.

The image processing unit 6 is connected to a color determination unit 17a and a contrast determination unit 17b. The color determination unit 17a determines a color component included in the image information, and the contrast determination unit 17b determines the contrast of the image signal. The contrast is also used for autofocus control of the AF control unit 2a. The distance of the subject, the distance of the background, and the like can also be determined based on the information on the lens position at the time of focusing.

Further, the camera 10 includes a compression / expansion unit 7, a recording / reproducing unit 8, a recording medium 9, an input / output unit 16, a display control unit 11, and a display unit 12. The compression / decompression unit 7 compresses the signal output from the image processing unit 6 during shooting. The compression / decompression unit 7 includes MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) 4 and H.264. A still image compression unit S 7b such as a moving image compression unit M 7a including a compression core unit such as H.264 and a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) core unit is provided. The recording / reproducing unit 8 records the image signal compressed as described above on the recording medium 9. The recording medium 9 is a storage recording medium that can be attached to and detached from the camera.

The display unit 12 includes, for example, a liquid crystal or an organic EL, and displays a monitor image at the time of shooting, and displays a recorded image that has been subjected to expansion processing at the time of reproduction. The display control unit 11 controls display on the display unit 12. The display control unit 11 has a multi-control unit 11a. The multi-control unit 11a displays a thumbnail image on the display unit 12.

At the time of reproduction, the compression / decompression unit 7 decompresses the compressed data recorded on the recording medium 9, and the image processing unit 6 further performs conversion processing into an image suitable for display. The converted image is displayed as a reproduced image on the display unit 12 via the display control unit 11 and viewed.

The input / output unit 16 relays the exchange of image data and other data via an external human 30 via the network. It is also possible to input the image data 31 from the outside. As described above, the information attached to the photographed image includes the photographing time, exposure control parameters, theme information, and the like. With such accompanying information, other net users 30 can know what kind of image the person is taking a picture of and the shooting technique, and can deepen exchange.

The camera 10 includes an auxiliary light emitting unit 13, an MPU 14, a ROM 15, a release switch 15a, a mode change switch 15b, and another switch 15c. The auxiliary light emitting unit 13 includes a white LED and a Xe discharge light emitting tube, and the amount of light can be controlled by the amount of current. Depending on the situation, the subject 20 is irradiated with light to prevent lack of brightness and uneven brightness.

The MPU 14 is a control unit that controls the entire camera. The release switch 15a, the mode switch 15b, the other switch 15c, and the ROM 16 are connected to the MPU 14. Each switch 15a-15c detects a user's operation, and notifies the result to MPU14 which is a calculation control means which consists of a microcontroller. The MPU 14 switches the operation according to the operation of these switches. The MPU 14 functions as a shooting control unit that controls the AF control unit 2a, the aperture control unit 3a, and the like during shooting.

The ROM 15 is a non-volatile and recordable memory, and is composed of, for example, a flash ROM, and stores a control program for performing control processing of the camera 10. The MPU 14 reads a program from the ROM 15 and executes it. The MPU 14 has a built-in clock unit 14a. The photographing time measured by the clock unit 14a is very important, and the photographing time and the photographing frequency are important factors for determining the theme of photographing (for example, a night view for a night landscape). The date and time classification unit 14b classifies the captured image from the measured shooting date and time.

Next, the outline of the user operation will be described using a flowchart with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic flowchart of the user operation, FIG. 3B is a flowchart for explaining the subroutine of the camera process in step S13, and FIG. 3C is a flowchart for explaining the subroutine of the mobile phone process in step S15. First, at the time of inspiring the blog (S11), if the environment allows photography, the process branches to Y in step S12, and photography is performed using the camera 10 (S13).

When the process proceeds to the camera process of step S13, the camera 10 takes a picture (S21). After this picture is taken, the mobile phone is at hand, and it is transmitted from the mobile phone to the site server 51 via the carrier server 41. Judgment is made (S22). If the mobile phone is at hand, the location information and date / time information are transmitted to the site server 51 by operating the mobile phone (S24, S25). The position information is obtained from the GPS, and the date / time information is obtained from the clock unit 14a. Thereafter, an image is transmitted from the camera 10. If there is no mobile phone, only the image is transmitted from the camera (S26). When the camera 10 does not have a wireless transmission function, the camera 10 transmits to the site server 51 from the PCs 31 and 32 through the network.

Returning to FIG. 3A, if there is no text creation time after shooting (NO in S14), the flow is temporarily ended here. On the other hand, if there is a text creation time (S14 YES), the process proceeds to step S15 to create the text. When the mobile phone processing subroutine shown in FIG. 3C is entered, if a reduced image is received from the site server 51, this received image is displayed (S31). The user creates text while viewing the reduced image (S32). When the creation of the text is completed, the text is transmitted from the mobile phone 36 to the site server 51 through the carrier server 41 (S33).

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary for the user to record an image or a document (text) somewhere and hold and manage it until the article is completed. Moreover, since it is possible to create an article while viewing an image taken by the camera 10 with a mobile phone, it is possible to more reliably create a text that matches the image and to associate it with the image.

Next, the operation in the site server 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the site server 51, image reception, date and time information reception, text reception, access request reception, keyword transmission to the camera, and the like are performed.

When the site server process is entered, first, a site server image is received (S41). A flowchart of this site server image reception subroutine is shown in FIG. First, photographing is performed by the camera 10 (S61), and image data of the photographed image 33a is transmitted to the site server 51 through the PCs 31, 32, and the like. In step S51, when the site server 51 receives the image data, the image data is recorded in the recording unit 52, and the user determination unit 54 determines the user. The user determination is performed by reading a record registered in advance by the user with an ID or a password.

Subsequently, from the date and time when the image was taken, it is checked whether the user has sent the relationship between the position and time (S52). If there is such information, the image, position, and time are associated with each other (S54). ). Next, it progresses to step S55 and it is determined whether there exists corresponding text data. This determination is performed based on whether there is a corresponding text based on information such as position and time related to the image. If there is no corresponding text, a resized image is transmitted to the user's mobile phone 36 via the carrier server 41 in order to inform the user that the text data has not yet been transmitted. When receiving the resized image, the mobile phone 36 records the image in the memory in the mobile phone (S71). Next, it is determined whether or not the user has selected a mode for creating text corresponding to the resized image (S72). If the text creation mode is selected, the received resized image is displayed (S73).

If the result of determination in step S55 is that text has already been transmitted, assuming that the set of images and text has been prepared, step S56 is branched to Y and registration of set completion is performed (S57). This makes it possible to display the completed article on other users' PCs. In addition, see FIG. 6A-2 for the completion of the setting when the set of the image and the text is prepared by receiving the text.

When the site server image reception subroutine of step S41 in FIG. 4 is completed, next, site server date and time information reception processing (S42) and site server text reception processing (S43) are performed. FIG. 6 shows a subroutine for receiving information such as date and time and receiving text.

The carrier server 41 of the mobile phone company assists with such a flow. First, when the user operates the mobile phone 36 (S81), an operation signal is transmitted to the carrier server 41 (S82). When the carrier server 41 determines in step S91 that a signal indicating that the user has operated the mobile phone has been received, the location determination unit 43 of the carrier server 41 detects the location of the mobile phone 36 (S92). The time information (S93) is also transmitted to the site server 91 (S94). This transmission is performed via the site server cooperation unit 42.

The site server 51 determines that the carrier server 41 has transmitted information in which the date and time are associated with each other by operating the mobile phone 36, and records these relationships (S101). At this time, the association is performed in consideration of the shooting time information attached to the camera image received in step S41.

Then, the process proceeds to the site server text subroutine of step S43. First, it is determined whether the text creation mode is selected (S83). If the text creation mode is selected, it is determined whether a corresponding image is received (S84). If received, the image (reduced image) is displayed (S85). Next, the user inputs text data on the mobile phone 36 (S86), and when the text is completed, it is transmitted to the carrier server 41 (S87). At this time, the carrier server 41 determines the location and date / time information of the mobile phone 36 in steps S92 and S93 described above, and transmits the information together with the text data to the site server 51 (S94).

When the site server 51 receives the text or the like, it first records these data in the recording unit 52 (S102). Next, among the data transmitted from the carrier server 41, there is a blog article without an image, or there is one that has been sent only with text. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the image and the text are aligned (S103), and if both are aligned, set completion registration is performed (S104). Depending on whether this set completion registration has been made, display and access are permitted or not permitted. In addition, when transmitting an image from the camera, it may be possible to add a signal that prohibits display or access of the image recorded in the recording unit if text is not complete.

When the site server text reception in step S43 is completed, the process proceeds to the site server access request reception in step S44. The access request reception subroutine will be described with reference to FIG. If there is an access to the site server 51 that requests a display of a blog from a third party PC 34, it is determined whether or not this access is the blog creator himself / herself (S111). This determination is made by confirming the ID or password.

As a result of the determination, if the user is the person himself / herself, access (browsing) is permitted even if the blog article is not completed (S113). On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if it is not the person himself, it is determined whether or not the set completion registration in step S57 or step S104 has been performed as to whether or not the blog has been completed (S112). If the set is not completed, the blog is not completed, and thus browsing is not permitted (S114). If the blog is completed, browsing is permitted (S113).

When the site server release request subroutine ends, the process proceeds to a keyword transmission process subroutine to the camera in step S45. In this keyword transmission processing subroutine, when it is determined that the camera 10 is connected to the PC 32 when only the text is previously input and recorded in the site server 51, the keyword information of the text is stored in the camera 10. To be downloaded. Since the text theme (keyword) is displayed on the display unit 12 on the back of the camera 10 as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to take a picture while viewing this theme, and to acquire an image suitable for a blog article.

The keyword transmission processing subroutine will be described with reference to FIG. When the camera 10 is connected to the PC 32, the camera 10 transmits the camera ID to the PC 32 (S131), and the PC 32 communicates with the site server 51 that the camera is connected. When the site server 51 determines that the camera 10 is connected (S121), the site server 51 proceeds to step S122. In the recording unit 52 of the site server 51, the text 37 transmitted so far is recorded. In step S122, it is determined whether there is a sentence (text) corresponding to the user using the camera 10.

The keyword extraction unit 61 extracts a keyword from the sentence (text). For example, if “This is a picture taken at Yatsugatake, beautiful”, “Yatsugatake” is extracted as a keyword. Once the keyword is extracted, the camera 10 receives the keyword via the camera communication unit 62 (means for communicating with the MPU 14 of the camera using a predetermined protocol) 62 (S132) and stores it in the recording medium 9. The MPU 14 of the camera 10 displays the keyword on the display unit 12 (S133), and the user photographs as auxiliary information at the time of photographing (S134).

The operation of the site server 51 in the blog creation support system to which the present invention is applied has been described above. However, the operation procedure of the site server 51 shown in FIG. 3 may be appropriately changed in order, for example, site server image reception Prior to (S41), site server date and time information reception (S42) may be processed. When the keyword transmission process to the camera in step S45 is completed, the process returns to step S41 again, and the above steps are repeatedly executed.

Next, an operation flow of the camera 10 that performs a photographing operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A is a main flow of the camera 10, and FIGS. 10B to 10D show details of each subroutine in the main routine.

When the main routine shown in FIG. 10A is entered, first, in step S141, a shooting operation is performed in the shooting mode. In the shooting mode subroutine (B), first, the keyword transmitted from the site server 51 is displayed on the display unit 12, and a shooting instruction is given (S151). The user points the camera 10 at the subject in accordance with the shooting instruction, determines the exposure control value and AF control (S152), determines the shooting date and time (S153), and records the image together with these information on the recording medium 9. (S154). When the photographing operation in the photographing mode is completed, the process proceeds to the reproduction mode (S142). In the reproduction mode (C), the image recorded on the recording medium 9 is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 12.

When the reproduction operation in the reproduction mode is completed, the process proceeds to the transmission mode (S143). In the reproduction mode, when an image is selected for transmission (transmission mode (D)), image upload is performed. In other words, if it is desired to make an announcement through the photographed result, if this is designated, it is determined, and a transmission image is displayed in S171, and transmitted outside the camera in S175. This transmission setting is performed by the switch 15b (see FIGS. 2 and 9) or the like.

In addition, if it is difficult to immediately publish the transmitted image, the camera side may be instructed to permit publishing only with the text. In other words, prior to the transmission from the camera 10, if it is set in advance in the camera 10 that text is necessary for the blog of this image (S173), a signal indicating that is added to the image and transmitted. This is performed (S174). In other words, if there is a text setting, at the time of transmission, the fact is notified to the site server 51 of the blog site so that the text is not displayed unless the text is ready. When there is no need for text, a signal that does not require text is given, and image transmission is performed in step S175. Attach any accompanying information. If the above-mentioned signal that the site server 51 needs the text is added to the determination in step S112, the publication is permitted only for the image.

As described above, the blog creation support system to which the present invention is applied is configured, but the following modifications are possible. For example, since the user will have a mobile phone at the time of shooting, the functions unique to the mobile phone can be performed after shooting or by performing a predetermined mobile phone operation while shooting as shown in FIG. You may add the information that diverted. The additional information may be, for example, location information if the mobile phone is equipped with GPS, or music information if the mobile phone is equipped with music. As a result, a predetermined signal is transmitted from the mobile phone 36 to the site server 51 via the carrier server 41.

The site server 51 collates with the time information of the image data according to the time sent, and determines which data can be associated with which image via the time determination unit 56 and the association unit 57, for example, image display Sometimes it is possible to display or play back the location where the photo was taken and the music that was imaged at that time. In implementing them, a rule for switching the control by determining a predetermined signal between the site server 51 and the carrier server 41 as blog sites is determined in advance.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the text data 37 a is transmitted to the site server 51 together with data that can be attached to the image or associated with the image. The data transmitted to the site server 51 is not limited to a pure text format consisting only of characters, but is created by various application software such as MS word format, MS Excel format, PowerPoint format, and the above-described music information. Of course, even data. As a combination of such an image and attached data, a combination of a still image and a moving image may be used.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the data corresponding to the image is transmitted from the mobile phone 36 in order to associate the image. This data includes date data and position data in addition to text. Of course, it ’s good.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image taken by a user can be immediately stored in a provider such as a blog, and the worry of losing the image can be eliminated, and text suitable for the image can be created anywhere. Since the consistency of the text is improved, and it is made public only when it is completed as a set, the user can have more time to think about the content than before.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a photograph taken with a digital camera with excellent depiction and a text created on a portable terminal that can describe what is in mind anywhere are created under the same circumstances. Just like a set of content, it can be viewed by others. The degree of freedom at the time of shooting with the camera and the creation of text is improved, so that the creativity of the user can be demonstrated and the creation of a higher level of content becomes possible.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, it has been described that each process of the site server 51 is performed by the CPU 60, the recording unit 52, the resizing unit 53, and the like, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. That is, it is because some functions, such as the user determination part 54, the correlation part 57, the keyword extraction part 61, and the blog determination part 63, may be replaced by software processing instead of hardware. Specifically, each of the functional units described above is replaced with a processing function executed by the CPU 60. In this case, a program stored in the ROM and causing the CPU 60 to execute these processing functions constitutes the present invention. In addition, it can be said that a recording medium for storing the program also constitutes the present invention. Such a program is not only stored in the ROM, but may be supplied from the outside via another network such as a CD.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, a combination of a digital camera and a mobile phone has been taken as an example, but the digital camera includes various digital cameras such as a compact type digital camera and a single-lens reflex type digital. In addition to a general mobile phone, the mobile phone includes a mobile communication terminal with a built-in mobile personal computer, and any mobile device capable of generating text data may be used.

2 ... photographic lens unit, 2a ... A control unit, 3 ... aperture unit, 3a ... aperture control unit, 4 ... imaging element, 5 ... AFE, 6 ... image processing , 7... Compression / decompression unit, 8... Recording / playback unit, 9... Recording medium, 10... Camera, 11. Display unit, 13 ... auxiliary light emitting unit, 14 ... MPU, 14a ... clock unit, 15 ... ROM, 15a ... release switch, 15b ... mode switch, 15c Other switches, 16: I / O unit, 17a: Color discriminating unit, 17b: Contrast determining unit, 20 ... Subject, 30 ... External human, 31 ... Image data ( (PC in the figure), 32... PC, 34... PC, 35. Telephone, 37... Text, 41... Carrier server, 42... Site server cooperation unit, 43... Position determination unit, 51. Resizing unit, 54... User determining unit, 55... Portable transmitting unit, 57... Associating unit, 58.

Claims (2)

Acquires text with images composed of images and text, or images without text from the network, and sends the images to the text publishing device with images that publish the text with images or images without text to the outside via the network. In the camera with image transmission function to
Sending the image by giving a signal that the image-publishing device with the image can determine whether the image to be transmitted is an image to be published together with the text or an image to be published without the need for text. A camera with an image transmission function, comprising a transmission unit for performing the operation. An image transmission function for a text publishing apparatus that obtains a text with an image composed of images and text or an image without text from a network and publishes the text with text or the image without text to the outside via the network. In the image transmission method of transmitting an image from the attached camera,
Sending the image by giving a signal that the image-publishing device with the image can determine whether the image to be transmitted is an image to be published together with the text or an image to be published without the need for text. An image transmission method characterized by comprising: