JP5489590B2 - Information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and the like that can execute synchronization processing for capturing an image from an external device and matching the captured image with an image in the external device during subsequent communication.

  In recent years, with the increase in the capacity of storage devices of digital cameras and the increase in storage capacity of information processing devices, the number of digital image files (hereinafter referred to as images) can be recorded extremely large, and a large number of files are captured in the information processing device. It is possible. In such a situation where a large number of images are handled, when the user makes a determination as to whether an image captured by a digital camera has already been captured by the information processing apparatus, the user's workload is very large. turn into. In addition, there is a possibility that an image that is not captured or a duplicate image is captured due to a management mistake of the user himself / herself. Therefore, there is a system for determining whether an image from a digital camera has been taken into an information processing apparatus.

  In addition, after the image from the digital camera is captured by the information processing apparatus, the image captured by the information processing apparatus is rotated or the header information is edited so that the image between the digital camera and the information processing apparatus Inconsistencies may occur between each other. In such a case, a synchronization process for matching the images between the digital camera and the information processing apparatus so as to match each other is desired. However, a system that only determines capture as described above cannot detect even the occurrence of inconsistency in spite of inconsistency in the image. Further, in such a system for determining capture, it is determined whether or not capture is possible by comparing images existing between the digital camera and the information processing apparatus with a single identification information such as an image ID. However, even if an attempt is made to perform synchronization processing using only such single identification information, it cannot be determined which image is to be synchronized with reference.

  It is considered desirable for the user not only to transfer image data without excess or deficiency, but also to perform synchronization processing when an inconsistency occurs in the image. Therefore, in order to avoid such a problem of inconsistency, a system that performs synchronization processing at the update date / time and the edit date / time of an image has been considered. When the image is rotated by the digital camera or the information processing apparatus, or the header information of the image is edited (tag editing, keyword editing, etc.), the update date / time is changed. The system that performs the synchronization process based on the update date and time is a system that performs the synchronization process based on the fact that the update date and time are different. Specifically, it is determined that the image with the latest update date and time is overwritten and synchronized. The processing is performed. Note that it is also possible to record the editing date and time and the history in the header without using the update date and time.

JP 2007-060204 A JP 2001-309219 A

  However, in the system using only the editing date and time as described above, when the digital camera performs image rotation processing or the like and tag editing or the like on the computer side, synchronization processing undesirable for the user may be performed. is there. In other words, although the system overwrites an image with a newer update date and time as a reference, it may not be desirable to synchronize images that are desirable for the user. That is, just because the update date is new, the user may not always want to synchronize based on this. As a system for sharing an image, for example, the following patent documents are disclosed.

  In the system described in Patent Document 1, each time a digital camera captures an image, distribution information including an image storage source directory, a distribution destination address, and a storage destination directory is generated for each of the other digital cameras that are members. A distribution list in which distribution information is registered is generated. Then, the digital camera distributes the image data to the other digital cameras that are members based on the distribution information. However, the system described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the case where the header information and the like in the image are updated and the shared images are inconsistent.

  The system described in Patent Document 2 prevents retransfer of transferred images. A digital camera assigns a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) to each image and transfers the image to an information processing device (PC). ) Is received. In this system, the PC extracts the UUID already held by the PC from the transferred transfer candidate UUID, and transmits the remaining UUID to the camera as the transfer target UUID. Then, the camera transfers the corresponding image to the PC based on the UUID to be transferred. However, the system described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-228561 is not considered for the case where the header information in the image is updated and the shared images are inconsistent with each other.

  In other words, the systems described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 do not consider the case where inconsistency occurs between shared images, and cannot achieve synchronization processing desirable for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is desirable or reliable for a user regarding image synchronization processing performed between devices capable of storing images such as a digital camera and an information processing apparatus. The purpose is to realize highly synchronous processing.

The information processing apparatus according to the present invention communicates with an external apparatus, and synchronizes an image stored in the storage medium of the own apparatus and an image stored in the external apparatus based on identification information that uniquely identifies the image. a processing apparatus, identification information of the image with the image stored in the storage medium the external device match and, if the attribute information indicating attributes of each image is different, the attribute information of the respective image user When it is determined that one of the attribute information among the attribute information of each image is edited by a user operation, as a result of determination by the determination unit and whether the determination unit determines whether the image has been edited by an operation, Synchronization processing means for synchronizing the other attribute information with the attribute information edited by the user operation.

  According to the present invention, there is no inconsistency in synchronization processing of images performed between devices capable of storing images, such as digital cameras and information processing apparatuses, and synchronization with high reliability for a user can be performed.

It is a figure shown about the structure of the image communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the image communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a module block diagram for demonstrating the module functioned when performing image communication in the image communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the synchronizing process of the image performed in the image communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram at the time of performing a synchronization process in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a sequence diagram at the time of performing a synchronization process in the embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which enumerated the use case example which performs the synchronous process which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described.
<System configuration>
First, the system configuration of the image communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image communication system according to the present embodiment. The image communication system according to the present embodiment is configured by connecting a digital camera 100 as an example of an imaging apparatus and a computer 101 as an example of an information processing apparatus via a communication interface 102 as illustrated in FIG. . The digital camera 100 and the computer 101 perform communication based on an object-based protocol, here, PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) standard. As an object-based protocol, MTP (Media Transfer Protocol; (Microsoft technical specification)) is an extended specification of PTP, and can be used in the same manner. The communication interface 102 may be either wired or wireless, but when the communication interface 102 is wired, the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 are connected by a communication cable. In the case of wireless, IEEE. Communication is performed by a wireless LAN or the like typified by 802.11b.

  In the image communication system according to the present embodiment, when the digital camera 100 detects a connection between the computer 101 and the communication interface 102, the communication mode is changed. In the previous mode, the digital camera 100 is in the playback mode. The digital camera 100 and the computer 101 communicate with each other based on the PTP standard, so that an image (still image or moving image) captured by the digital camera 100 can be transferred to the computer 101. The computer 101 is installed with an application capable of requesting the digital camera 100 to transmit image header information and the entire image based on the PTP standard. The computer 101 is also installed with an application that can transfer an image from the computer 101 to the digital camera 100.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the digital camera 100 and the computer 101. With reference to FIG. 2, each element constituting the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 will be described.

  First, when a subject image is picked up by the digital camera 100, a light beam from the subject passes through the optical system 201 and is held as an electric charge on an image pickup element 202 such as a CCD or a CMOS. The charge accumulated in the image sensor 202 is converted as an image signal by the imaging process unit 203, and the image signal output from the imaging process unit 203 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 204, And stored in the RAM 210.

  The central processing unit 213 performs various processes on the image signal and has the following components.

In other words, the image processing unit 207 performs image processing such as white balance, sharpening, blurring, color balance, and level correction, and generates a digital image that has been subjected to image processing. The compression / decompression unit 208 performs compression or decompression. Specifically, the compression / decompression unit 208 performs compression, decompression, or the like into the JPEG format. The display control unit 209 performs drawing of a UI (User Interface) on the display device 217 and the like. The recording / playback control unit 211 performs I / O control on the storage medium 218. The communication control unit 212 performs data I / O control for the communication device 219. The central control unit 215 comprehensively controls each control unit described here.

  The compression / decompression unit 208 has a function of compressing the digital image processed by the image processing unit 207 in accordance with an image compression method such as JPEG or JPEG2000, and a function of expanding the compressed digital image. The compression rate in the compression / decompression unit 208 can be set by the user.

  The recording / playback control unit 211 has a function of writing an image file stored in the RAM 210 to the storage medium 218 and a function of reading an image file stored in the storage medium 218 from the storage medium 218 and writing it to the RAM 210. The captured image in the image file read from the storage medium 218 and written to the RAM 210 can be displayed on the display 217 by the system control unit 214. The image file is generated by the system control unit 214. The image file includes a captured image (hereinafter also referred to as a main image), a thumbnail obtained by reducing the main image, and additional information about the main image. Is included.

  In addition, the communication control unit 212 enables communication conforming to the PTP standard by controlling the communication device 219. The actual communication method may not be the PTP standard, but may be any object-based protocol that handles multimedia data as one object.

  The system control unit 214 is connected to the data bus 205 and has a microcomputer that executes various operations by controlling various elements in the digital camera 100 in accordance with a control program in the ROM 200. The ROM 200 stores a control program for controlling the digital camera 100, information on the digital camera 100, image data corresponding to a setting menu displayed on the display 217, and the like.

  As a function of the system control unit 214, a function of generating an image file including a digital image corresponding to the main image compressed by the compression / decompression unit 208 and additional information of the digital image, and storing the generated image file in the RAM 210 Is included. The additional information includes information about the main image (header information), information about the digital camera 100, a thumbnail of the main image, and the like. The RAM 210 has a capacity for storing a plurality of image files. In addition, as a function of the system control unit 214, there is a function of setting the digital camera 100 in a power saving state. When the digital camera 100 is set in the power saving state, the system control unit 214 turns off some of the functions of the digital camera 100 to reduce the power consumption of the battery.

  The operation device 216 is an operation unit for operating the digital camera 100. The operation device 216 includes a power switch for turning on / off the power of the digital camera 100, a shutter button, a menu button for displaying a setting menu on the display device 217, and the like. Furthermore, a cross button for moving the cursor displayed on the display 217 up, down, left or right, and an image, item, value, etc. selected by the cursor are set or selected on the digital camera 100. A SET button and the like are included. The shutter button has a half-pressed state and a fully-pressed state. When the shutter button is pressed halfway, the digital camera 100 executes AF (autofocus), AE (automatic exposure), etc. by the AE / AF unit 206, and when the shutter button is fully pressed, the digital camera 100 100 performs image capturing.

  The display 217 displays a drawing requested by the display control unit 209. The display 217 includes a display such as a liquid crystal as a device and can display various information. Functions of the display 217 include a function for displaying information related to the digital camera 100, a function for displaying a captured image, a function for displaying a captured image stored in the storage medium 218, and the like. In addition, when a captured image stored in the storage medium 218 is displayed, information regarding the captured image can also be displayed. The display 217 can also display a graphical user interface such as a setting menu.

  The storage medium 218 stores the image file temporarily stored in the RAM 210 via the recording / playback control unit 211. The storage medium 218 may be either a removable medium or a storage medium incorporated in the apparatus, and is a medium capable of holding storage even when the digital camera 100 is not turned on. In the present embodiment, the still image stored in the storage medium 218 is stored in accordance with the DCF standard (Design rule for Camera File System: reference JEIDA standard JEIDA 49-2-1998) so that the recording / playback control unit 211 can read and write. In addition, the moving image is stored so that it can be handled as one piece of multimedia data with two file configurations of a DCF basic file and a DCF thumbnail file. Note that the file structure is not limited to the DCF standard, and multimedia data composed of a plurality of files may be used.

  The communication device 219 enables wireless communication or wired communication. When the communication device 219 has a wireless function and does not have a wired communication function, the wireless information is updated via the media, but only the wired communication function may be used. Absent. It does not matter whether the communication device 219 can be attached or detached.

  Next, in the computer 101, the operation device 221 is an operation unit such as a keyboard or a mouse, and inputs an operation from the user to the system control unit 225. The display 222 is an output monitor and outputs a UI (User Interface) drawn by the display control unit 228 and the like. The RAM 229 is a volatile memory for operating the OS and applications of the computer 101.

  The storage medium 223 is a device that inputs and outputs data in response to a data request from the storage control unit 230, and is a nonvolatile storage device. The storage medium 223 stores an OS and applications that are control programs. The communication device 224 is a communication device that can be connected to the communication interface 102, and outputs data to and from the external device under the control of the communication control unit 231. The communication device 224 enables wireless communication or wired communication. When the wireless communication function is provided and the wired communication function is not provided, the wireless information is updated via the media. However, only the wired communication function may be used. Absent. It does not matter whether the communication device 224 is removable or not.

  The central processing unit 227 includes a display control unit 228, a storage control unit 230, a communication control unit 231, and a central control unit 226 (general control of each control unit). The functions of the display control unit 228, storage control unit 230, and communication control unit 231 are as described above, and the central control unit 226 is controlled by the system control unit 225 to display the display control unit 228, storage control unit 230, and communication control. The unit 23 is comprehensively controlled.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a module configuration diagram for explaining modules that function when the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 perform image communication in the image communication system according to the present embodiment. The module described below is realized or constructed by the system control unit 214 controlling each unit in the digital camera 100, and realized by the system control unit 225 controlling each unit in the computer 101. Or it is constructed.

  The UI module 301 is a module for controlling information displayed on the display device 217, and controls display of a UI (User Interface) for display of a captured image and operation by the operation device 216.

  The file management module 302 is a module that manages reading and writing of data stored in the storage medium 218, manages images necessary for playback of the digital camera 100, and manages reading and writing of image files requested from the communication module 303. It is a module. The storage medium 218 stores still images (JPG, RAW, etc.) and moving images (AVI, MPG, etc.), which are image data, in compliance with the DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) standard. Suppose that

  The communication module 303 is a module for controlling communication with the computer 101. In this embodiment, the communication module 303 implements communication using PTP. The communication module 303 receives a request from the computer 101 and requests the file management module 302 to read / write an image file.

  Next, in the computer 101, a communication module 304 is a module for controlling communication with a peripheral device (here, the digital camera 100) connected to the computer 101. In the present embodiment, communication is realized using PTP.

  The file management module 305 is a module that manages image files on the activated application 309. Specifically, the file management module 305 displays each image in the digital camera 100 and information partially captured in the computer 101, that is, thumbnail and header information (shooting date, shooting model, resolution, shooting parameters, etc.). Manage and manage in association. If the main image for the information is stored in the storage medium 223 of the computer 101 and cached, the information is also stored in association with it. The file management module 305 can also read an image managed by the computer 101 and its thumbnail and header information from the storage medium 223.

  The synchronization management module 306 compares the image in the image file of the digital camera 100 with the image managed in the computer 101 based on the respective identification information, and checks the lack of the image file. When there is an insufficient image in the computer 101, an instruction to capture an image from the digital camera 100 is given. Also, if the identification information is the same, the image synchronization processing, that is, whether or not the consistency between the two needs to be matched, the difference in update date / time, the edit date / time inside the image, the content of the image edit (edited by user operation) Or the like).

  An OS 307 is an operation system of the computer 101. A file system and memory management are performed, and a system for communicating with the digital camera 100 in cooperation with the communication module 304 is provided.

  The UI module 308 is a module that performs control for displaying a UI (Use Interface) of the application 309 installed in the computer 101 on the display unit 222, and displays a UI for operation by the operation unit 221. The application 309 is software for realizing some functions of the image communication system in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the functions of the file management module 305, the synchronization management module 306, and the UI module 308 are realized by the application 309.

<Outline of processing>
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of image synchronization processing executed in the image communication system according to the present embodiment.
First, the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 are synchronized, and the same image 400 is stored in both the digital camera 100 and the computer 101.

  An image 401 is an image edited by the user using the digital camera 100 on the digital camera 100 side. The image 401 is an image in which a tag (keyword or the like) is added to the inside of the image, for example, an image in which information is added to a MakerNote area or a comment area used inside the Exif header. The image 402 is an image obtained by editing the image on the computer 101 side by the user using the computer 101 and rotating the image to the right by 90 degrees. It is assumed that the image is realized by changing the image rotation flag in the Exif header instead of lossless rotation. The lossless rotated image has a different file size, and there is a possibility that the Exif information may be lost depending on the software. In this embodiment, the image is not subject to synchronization with the image 401 (considered as a new image). .

  Since the image 401 and the image 402 are images edited by user operations, it is considered normal for the user to leave tag information and rotation information as user-operated information and to synchronize. For this reason, it is considered to be ideal to perform tag editing and synchronize the images 90 degrees to the right as in images 403 and 404.

  In order to achieve such synchronization, in the present embodiment, when editing is performed by a user operation, history information indicating that the editing has been performed by the user operation is held. What has been edited by user operation has a higher priority than those automatically rotated at the time of shooting and those automatically edited by the tag at the time of shooting, in other words, what is important is a malicious and unintentional act Unless it is, it can be taken for granted. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is assumed that editing by a user operation is prioritized and the operation is correct, and a history of actions being performed by the user is retained and used as a criterion for determination during synchronization processing.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, a flag is prepared for each process (rotation processing, tag editing, editing of GPS information,...) According to the user's operation. Then, when editing is performed by a user operation in the digital camera 100 and the computer 101, a flag and processing contents are added and recorded in the header information of the image. Note that the items to be edited (edit items) included in the header information are examples of attribute information. In this way, in the example of FIG. 4, the action edited by the tag in the image 401 and the action rotated in the image 402 are retained as correct information, and the image 401 is rotated after the synchronization processing. The contents of the process and the contents of the tag editing process are added to the image 402.

<Specific sequence of synchronization processing>
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram when performing synchronization processing in the present embodiment. The flow of synchronization processing according to this embodiment will be described below.

  In FIG. 5, a user 501 is a user who operates the computer 101. When the user 501 starts up the computer 101, the application 309 is started up, and the application 309 requests the UI module 308 to start up in step S101. The activated UI module 308 displays a UI for executing the synchronization process on the display 222.

  In step S102, the UI module 308 requests the synchronization management module 306 to start. As a result, when the synchronization management module 306 is activated, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 to activate in step S103.

  When the file management module 305 is activated, in step S104, the file management module 305 establishes communication connection with the digital camera 100 via the OS 307 and the communication module 304 (not shown here). When communication is established, a message is returned from the digital camera 100 and notified to the file management module 305 and the synchronization management module 306.

  When communication between the computer 101 and the digital camera 100 is established, the synchronization management module 306 next enumerates the images in the digital camera 100 in step S105 and enumerates the images managed by the computer 101 in step S106. Do. Here, the necessary conditions for enumerating images are that the handle and path indicating the location of the image file can be acquired and the identification information necessary for synchronization can be obtained. In the form, in addition to these, header information (including attribute information) is also required. In this embodiment, UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is used as the image identification information. However, other identification information may be used as long as it can uniquely identify the image.

  When enumerating images in the digital camera 100, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 to enumerate images in step S105 (camera enumeration). In step S107 (enumeration of in-camera images), the file management module 305 requests the digital camera 100 for the “necessary information”. When enumerating images in the computer 101, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 to enumerate images in step S106 (PC enumeration). In step S108 (enumeration of PC images), the file management module 305 requests the OS 307 for the “necessary information”. When camera enumeration and PC image enumeration are normally completed, a message to that effect is displayed to the user 501 via the UI module 308.

  In the following, the flow of the synchronization process will be described assuming that the synchronization process is requested by a user action. In FIG. 5, a sequence included in the synchronization process is clearly shown as a synchronization process sequence surrounded by a broken line 502.

  If there is a user action for executing the synchronization process in step S201, the UI module 308 requests the synchronization management module 306 to execute the synchronization process in step S202 (synchronous execution).

  In step S203, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 for the identification information of all the images in the digital camera 100 and the identification information of all the images in the computer 101, and then has the same identification information. Search for an image.

  Here, the synchronization management module 306 executes an image comparison / determination operation action. In this action, when the synchronization management module 306 determines that an image that exists in the digital camera 100 and does not exist on the computer 101 is an untransferred image, it is not an image synchronization target but is determined to be a transfer target (if an untransferred image determination is desired) Processing).

  If the synchronization management module 306 finds an image with the same identification information and the update date / time (edit date / time or history may be different) of these images, the header information is edited from each image by a user operation. Analyzes whether it has been done and makes a decision.

  The determination of the synchronization management module 306 here will be described in detail. Since the synchronization management module 306 has a high possibility that the header information is edited and the header information is inconsistent when the update date / time etc. are different, the header information Check if the information is inconsistent. If the header information is inconsistent, it is determined whether or not the header information is edited by a user operation. If it is edited by a user operation, it is determined that the information is correct, and the other is synchronized based on the content edited by the user operation. That is, as a result of the determination here, when it is determined that one header information is edited by a user operation, the other header information is synchronized with the edited content. Further, the determination here is to determine whether or not various editing items (rotation flag, tag editing, etc.) included in the header information are edited by a user operation, and each item is synchronized. It is determined whether or not. In the example of FIG. 4, when one image 401 is tag-edited and the other image 402 is rotated, the contents of the rotation operation are added to the header information of the image 401, and the header of the image 402 The contents of tag editing are added to the information.

  In the following description, it is assumed that synchronization is necessary based on the determination result. If rewriting processing is necessary for the image in the computer 101, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 to execute rewriting processing on the image file in step S204 (PC image rewriting). . When the file management module 305 receives a request for rewriting processing, in step S205, the file management module 305 requests the OS 307 to perform rewriting processing (image rewriting), and then the OS 307 executes image rewriting processing. In this sequence example, the file management module 305 performs processing on the OS 307.

  On the other hand, if rewriting processing is necessary for the image in the digital camera 100, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 for rewriting processing (camera image rewriting) in step S206. In this case, in step S207, the file management module 305 requests the digital camera 100 to perform a rewriting process, and the digital camera 100 performs the rewriting process (image rewriting). This synchronization process is realized by repeating the determination for all images having the same identification information.

  Next, FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an exceptional processing sequence (exception synchronization processing) of image synchronization. This sequence is a sequence executed in a state that cannot be determined by the determination criteria of FIG. For example, when image rotation processing is rotated 90 degrees to the left by an operation on the digital camera 100 and rotated 90 degrees to the right by an operation of the computer 101, the same kind of attribute is edited by a user operation, etc. To be executed. In such a case, the priority is unknown, it is difficult to determine the synchronization direction, and it may be preferable to prompt the user to select. It is unlikely that a user's operation time can be exactly the same, and it is rare that the user edits the image rotation process with a completely different result. The feature of the processing here is that the processing is not performed.

  Since the activation process of the application 309 and the like of the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 is the same as that in FIG.

  In the following, it is assumed that a synchronization process is requested to the UI module 308 according to a user request. In FIG. 6, a sequence included in the exception synchronization process is clearly shown as an exception synchronization process sequence surrounded by a broken line 602.

  If there is a user action for executing the synchronization process in step S201, the UI module 308 requests the synchronization management module 306 to execute the synchronization process in step S202 (synchronous execution).

  In step S203, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 for the identification information of all the images in the digital camera 100 and the identification information of all the images in the computer 101, and then has the same identification information. Search for an image.

  If the synchronization management module 306 finds an image with the same identification information, the synchronization management module 306 performs synchronization determination by the image comparison / determination operation action described with reference to FIG. When both the image of the digital camera 100 and the image of the computer 101 are edited by the user with the same function, that is, when the same edit item is edited by the user operation, the synchronization management module 306 It is determined that synchronization cannot be determined. In this case, in step S301, the synchronization management module 306 issues a callback notification to the UI module 308 (user determination process).

  In step S302, the UI module 308 displays a UI for determining the synchronization direction to the user 501 (user dialog display), and the user 501 selects the synchronization direction, that is, based on which editing content is synchronized. Choose what to do. Alternatively, a new image editing is performed and whether to complete the process is selected, that is, not synchronized (asynchronous) is selected. In response to the user operation (step S303-1) here, the UI module 308 requests the synchronization management module 306 to rewrite the image as necessary in step S303-2.

  Then, the synchronization management module 306 requests the file management module 305 to rewrite the image. Thereafter, image rewriting processing is performed in steps S304 to S307. This process is the same as the rewrite process in the synchronization process sequence 502 of FIG.

  Although the sequence example has been described as a method for performing the synchronization process based on FIGS. 5 and 6, there are various implementation methods for the procedure related to the execution of synchronization and the procedure related to the activation process of each module. The main content of this sequence is based on the premise that the requirements (images listed, acquisition of identification information, header information (including user operation history)) necessary for realizing the synchronization process are obtained. It is not important with regard to the procedure for obtaining that information.

<Example of synchronous processing>
Next, FIG. 7 is a table listing examples of use cases when image rotation processing and tag editing are performed in the computer 101 and the digital camera 100, and what kind of synchronization determination results are obtained according to the use cases. FIG. The example shown in FIG. 7 is an exemplification, and only what is described here is not the object of the determination process. Since there are many patterns of editing procedures by user operations, and editing processing is not limited to rotation and tags, and there are others, it is essentially meaningless to cover all patterns. Here, the main points are summarized in terms of what actions affect the determination.

  In FIG. 7, all 16 patterns are illustrated as examples of use cases. The columns of the table indicate items of “use case number (No)”, “category”, “use case”, “digital camera 100”, “computer 101”, “determination”, and “image after synchronization”. Yes. The state of each item corresponding to the use case indicated by “use case number (No)” is described.

  “Category” describes a pattern of editing processing operated by the user. The “Use Case” describes the editing procedure. The “digital camera 100” is added with an image example of an edited image state and edited information. The same applies to “computer 101”. “Determination” indicates whether the synchronization has been completed or the synchronization does not match. “Image after synchronization” shows an example of an image as a result of synchronization.

  No. 1 is a case where the identification information matches and the update date is also the same time. In this case, it is determined that the data has not been edited, and it is determined that synchronization has been completed. Basically, the identification information is matched and the update date / time is matched is a synchronized determination criterion.

  No. 2-No. Reference numeral 4 denotes an example in which an image editing act is performed only by the digital camera 100. Since these cases are one of editing actions, the application 309 can automatically execute the synchronization process.

  No. 5-No. 7 shows an example in which the editing act is performed only by the computer 101. In these cases, no. 2-No. Since it is one editing act like the case of 4, it is possible for the application 309 to automatically execute a synchronization process.

  These No. 2-No. In general, it is considered that the editing action No. 7 is almost the processing that is actually performed. The reason is that a user who edits using the computer 101 intends to manage everything with the computer 101, and a user who edits using the digital camera 100 is considered to edit mainly using the digital camera 100. .

  The action of the user editing the same image with the digital camera 100 and editing on the computer 101 side may be whether the user manually synchronizes or forgets the synchronization processing without relying on the application. Even when the user manually synchronizes, or when the user has forgotten to edit both, there may be a mistake due to a human error. In this case, it is possible to contribute to supporting the user by incorporating a process for comparing header information in the synchronization operation and incorporating a process for selecting an item to be synchronized (edit item).

  On the other hand, no. 8-No. Of the 16 use cases, no. 10, no. For conditions other than 11, four conditions hold. The first condition is that it is edited by the digital camera 100, the second is that it is also edited on the computer side, and the third is that the same edit item is included in the contents of the edited process. The editing is being done at. The fourth is that the header information does not completely match.

  In this case, it can be said that the editing result is different even though the same editing item is edited on both sides, so that the synchronization determination cannot be automatically performed. For this purpose, the user is allowed to select which one is the reference. This can be selected by the sequence described in FIG. When these four conditions are satisfied, it is considered that all must be performed by user selection.

  No. 10 and no. For the 11 use cases, the above four conditions are not satisfied. That is, the third condition is not satisfied and the same editing item is not edited by both. In this case, synchronization can be automatically performed by the sequence described in FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, for users who want to automatically perform synchronization processing between the image of the digital camera 100 and the image captured in the computer 101 when image rotation processing or tag editing is performed. Provide an automatic synchronous processing environment that considers use cases. Considering use cases, it is also possible to select synchronization processing as necessary, so that synchronization processing desired by the user can be realized even when there is a mistake in the user operation.

  More specifically, the action by the user who edited the header of the image is recorded, the action of the user rotating the image, the action of adding the keyword by the user is determined as the most correct header information, and the direction of data to be overwritten is determined. decide. In addition, when it is in a state that cannot be determined by this alone (when the same type of editing is performed by the user on both sides), by prompting the user for the synchronization direction, erroneous synchronization determination can be prevented. I am doing so. As a result, with respect to image synchronization processing between devices capable of storing images, such as the digital camera 100 and the computer 101, there is no duplication, deficiency, or inconsistency between the images of the digital camera 100 and the computer 101 even if the amount of images is large. Reliable synchronization can be performed.

  In this embodiment, the editing items in the header information include rotation processing, tag editing, GPS information editing, and the like, and it has been described that a history of whether or not these items have been edited by a user operation is retained. The editing includes not only addition or change of editing contents but also deletion. That is, for example, when a keyword is deleted by a user operation on an image in which a keyword has been added in tag editing, and the tag disappears, this deletion operation is also retained as a history, and the state where the tag disappears is used as a reference. Will be synchronized.

  In order to realize the present invention, a storage medium in which a program code (computer program) of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments may be used. In this case, the object of the present invention is achieved by supplying the storage medium to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used. Needless to say, the OS (basic system or operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. In this case, based on the instruction of the written program code, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform part or all of the actual processing.

  100 digital camera, 101 information processing apparatus, 102 communication interface

Claims (12)

An information processing apparatus that communicates with an external device and synchronizes an image stored in the storage medium of the own device and an image stored in the external device based on identification information that uniquely identifies the image,
When the identification information of the image stored in the storage medium matches the image of the external device and the attribute information indicating the attribute of each image is different, the attribute information of each image is edited by a user operation. Determining means for determining whether or not
As a result of the determination by the determination means, when it is determined that one of the attribute information of each image is edited by a user operation, the other attribute is added to the attribute information edited by the user operation. An information processing apparatus comprising: synchronization processing means for synchronizing information.   When the determination unit determines that each of the attribute information of the image stored in the storage medium and the attribute information of the image of the external device is edited by a user operation, one of the attribute information The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is possible to select whether to synchronize the other attribute information.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein whether or not to synchronize the other attribute information with one of the attribute information can be selected.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination for each category of the attribute information.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of rotation information, tag information, and GPS information. When the attribute information is edited based on a user operation in the information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus further includes a holding unit that holds a history indicating that the attribute information has been edited by the user operation,
6. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the attribute information of the image stored in the storage medium has been edited by a user operation based on the history. The information processing apparatus described. The image processing apparatus further includes receiving means for receiving, from the external device, an external editing history indicating that the image attribute information stored in the external device has been edited based on a user operation.
7. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the attribute information of the image of the external device has been edited by a user operation based on the external editing history. The information processing apparatus described. Communicating with an external device, communicating with an information processing device that synchronizes the image stored in the storage medium of the device and the image stored in the external device, based on the identification information that uniquely identifies the image, and the information An imaging device that can synchronize a stored image and an image stored in the information processing device in response to a request from a processing device,
Holding means for holding a history indicating that the attribute information indicating the attribute of the image used when the information processing apparatus performs synchronization is edited based on a user operation ;
An imaging apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the history together with the attribute information in response to a request from the information processing apparatus. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus that communicates with an external apparatus and synchronizes an image stored in a storage medium of the apparatus and an image stored in the external apparatus based on identification information that uniquely identifies the image. ,
When the identification information of the image stored in the storage medium matches the image of the external device and the attribute information indicating the attribute of each image is different, the attribute information of each image is edited by a user operation. A determination step for determining whether or not
As a result of the determination in the determination step, when it is determined that one of the attribute information of each image is edited by a user operation, the other attribute is added to the attribute information edited by the user operation. And a synchronization processing step of synchronizing information. Communicating with an external device, communicating with an information processing device that synchronizes the image stored in the storage medium of the device and the image stored in the external device, based on the identification information that uniquely identifies the image, and the information In accordance with a request from a processing device, a method for controlling an imaging device in which a stored image and an image stored in the information processing device can be synchronized,
When attribute information indicating an attribute of an image used when the information processing apparatus performs synchronization is edited based on a user operation, a history indicating that the attribute information is edited by the user operation;
And a step of transmitting the history together with the attribute information in response to a request from the information processing apparatus.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the information processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 7.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the imaging device of Claim 8.

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