U.S. patent application number 15/924602 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-26 for image shooting apparatus for adding information to image.
The applicant listed for this patent is CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Hiroyuki Hoshino.
Application Number | 20180213093 15/924602 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57517447 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180213093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hoshino; Hiroyuki |
July 26, 2018 |
IMAGE SHOOTING APPARATUS FOR ADDING INFORMATION TO IMAGE
Abstract
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image
shooting apparatus includes an imaging unit, a transmission unit,
and a processor that is configured to acquire an image captured by
the imaging unit to generate a shot image and control the
transmission unit to transmit, to an information acquiring
apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii) instruction information for
instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire
supplementary information, with a shooting instruction. The
supplementary information is information which is acquired by a
sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be
added to the transmitted shot image.
Inventors: |
Hoshino; Hiroyuki; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
57517447 |
Appl. No.: |
15/924602 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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15071377 |
Mar 16, 2016 |
9961214 |
|
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15924602 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 2201/3252 20130101;
H04N 1/32128 20130101; H04N 2201/3228 20130101; H04N 2201/0084
20130101; H04N 1/00103 20130101; H04N 2201/0055 20130101; H04N
1/00225 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 1/00 20060101
H04N001/00; H04N 1/32 20060101 H04N001/32 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 11, 2015 |
JP |
2015-118243 |
Dec 24, 2015 |
JP |
2015-252315 |
Claims
1. An image shooting apparatus comprising: an imaging unit; a
transmission unit; and a processor that is configured to acquire an
image captured by the imaging unit to generate a shot image and
control the transmission unit to transmit, to an information
acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, (ii) instruction
information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to
acquire supplementary information, and (iii) identification
information for identifying the shot image to be transmitted, with
a shooting instruction.
2. The image shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instruction
information further includes shooting time which is time
information at the time of generating the shot image, and the
processor is configured to further add shooting time to the shot
image and control the transmission unit to transmit the shooting
time added to the shot image to the information acquiring apparatus
as the identification information.
3. The image shooting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instruction
information further includes the kind of the supplementary
information to be acquired by the information acquiring
apparatus.
4. An image shooting apparatus comprising: an imaging unit; a
transmission unit; and a processor that is configured to acquire an
image captured by the imaging unit to generate a shot image and
control the transmission unit to (i) transmit the shot image to an
information acquiring apparatus, and (ii) transmit, to the
information acquiring apparatus, instruction information for
instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire
supplementary information prior to completion of the transmission
of the shot image, with a shooting instruction, wherein the
supplementary information is information which is acquired by a
sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be
added to the shot image.
5. An information acquiring apparatus comprising: a sensor; a
reception unit; and a processor that is configured to: control the
reception unit to receive a shot image and instruction information
transmitted from an image shooting apparatus; and perform
processing to acquire supplementary information by the sensor and
add the supplementary information to the received shot image,
according to the received instruction information, wherein the
instruction information includes time information at the time of
generating the shot image transmitted from the image shooting
apparatus, the shot image transmitted from the image shooting
apparatus includes shooting time added thereto, and the processor
is configured to further identify the shot image to which the
acquired supplementary information is to be added, by comparing the
shooting time added to the received shot image and shooting time
included in the received instruction information.
6. The information acquiring apparatus of claim 5 further
comprising a corresponding information storage unit configured to
store a plurality of sets of the shooting time included in the
received instruction information and corresponding supplementary
information acquired by the sensor, wherein the processor is
configured to compare the shooting time added to the received shot
image and the shooting time stored in the corresponding information
storage unit to identify the shot image to which the supplementary
information corresponding to the shooting time stored in the
corresponding information storage unit is to be added.
7. The information acquiring apparatus of claim 6, wherein the
processor is configured to further update the supplementary
information stored in the corresponding information storage unit to
new one acquired by the sensor in the case that the shooting time
included in the received instruction information is the same as the
shooting time stored in the corresponding information storage
unit.
8. An information acquiring apparatus comprising: a sensor; a
reception unit; and a processor that is configured to: control the
reception unit to receive a shot image from an image shooting
apparatus and instruction information transmitted prior to the shot
image from the image shooting apparatus; and perform processing to
acquire supplementary information by the sensor and add the
supplementary information to the received shot image, according to
the received instruction information.
9. An information acquiring apparatus comprising: a sensor; a
reception unit; and a processor that is configured to: control the
reception unit to receive a shot image and instruction information
transmitted from an image shooting apparatus; and perform
processing to acquire supplementary information by the sensor and
add the supplementary information to the received shot image,
according to the received instruction information, wherein the
instruction information includes the kind of the supplementary
information to be acquired by the information acquiring
apparatus.
10. A transmission control method comprising: acquiring an image
captured by an imaging unit to generate a shot image and
controlling a transmission unit to transmit, to an information
acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, (ii) instruction
information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to
acquire supplementary information, and (iii) identification
information for identifying the shot image to be transmitted, with
a shooting instruction.
11. A transmission control method comprising: acquiring an image
captured by an imaging unit to generate a shot image and
controlling a transmission unit to (i) transmit the shot image to
an information acquiring apparatus, and (ii) transmit, to the
information acquiring apparatus, instruction information for
instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire
supplementary information prior to completion of the transmission
of the shot image, with a shooting instruction, wherein the
supplementary information is information which is acquired by a
sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be
added to the shot image.
12. An information acquiring method comprising: controlling a
reception unit to receive a shot image and instruction information
transmitted from an image shooting apparatus; and performing
processing to acquire supplementary information by a sensor and add
the supplementary information to the received shot image, according
to the received instruction information, wherein the instruction
information includes time information at the time of generating the
shot image transmitted from the image shooting apparatus, the shot
image transmitted from the image shooting apparatus includes
shooting time added thereto, and the method further comprises
identifying the shot image to which the acquired supplementary
information is to be added, by comparing the shooting time added to
the received shot image and shooting time included in the received
instruction information.
13. An information acquiring method comprising: controlling a
reception unit to receive a shot image from an image shooting
apparatus and instruction information transmitted prior to the shot
image from the image shooting apparatus; and performing processing
to acquire supplementary information by a sensor and add the
supplementary information to the received shot image, according to
the received instruction information.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Division of application Ser. No.
15/071,377 filed Mar. 16, 2016, the entire contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of
priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese Patent Application No.
2015-118243 filed on Jun. 11, 2015 and Japanese Patent Application
No. 2015-252315 filed on Dec. 24, 2015 the entire disclosure of
which, including the description, claims, drawings, and abstract,
is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an image shooting
apparatus, an information acquiring apparatus, an information
acquiring system, a transmission control method, and an information
acquiring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, there has been known a technology for
automatically transmitting an image shot by an image shooting
apparatus to an external apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-342465 published on Nov.
29, 2002, in order for the image to be used by the external
apparatus as well as the image shooting apparatus. Further, for
example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No.
2004-032129 published on Jan. 29, 2004 discloses a technology for
adding to an image shot by an image shooting apparatus location
information acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver
of the image shooting apparatus and publishing the image on a
website.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an
image shooting apparatus is provided. The image shooting apparatus
includes an imaging unit, a transmission unit, and a processor that
is configured to acquire an image captured by the imaging unit to
generate a shot image and control the transmission unit to
transmit, to an information acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot
image, and (ii) instruction information for instructing the
information acquiring apparatus to acquire supplementary
information, with a shooting instruction. The supplementary
information is information which is acquired by a sensor of the
information acquiring apparatus and which is to be added to the
transmitted shot image.
[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an
information acquiring apparatus is provided. The information
acquiring apparatus includes a sensor, a reception unit, and a
processor that is configured to control the reception unit to
receive a shot image and instruction information transmitted from
an image shooting apparatus and to perform processing to acquire
supplementary information by the sensor and add the supplementary
information to the received shot image according to the received
instruction information.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an
information acquiring system is provided. The system includes an
image shooting apparatus and an information acquiring apparatus.
The image shooting apparatus includes an imaging unit, a
transmission unit, and a processor that is configured to acquire an
image captured by the imaging unit to generate a shot image and
control the transmission unit to transmit, to the information
acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii) instruction
information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to
acquire supplementary information, with a shooting instruction. The
supplementary information is information which is acquired by a
sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be
added to the transmitted shot image. The information acquiring
apparatus includes a sensor, a reception unit, and a processor that
is configured to control the reception unit to receive the shot
image and the instruction information transmitted from the image
shooting apparatus and to perform processing to acquire
supplementary information by the sensor and add the supplementary
information to the received shot image according to the received
instruction information.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a
transmission control method is provided. The method includes
acquiring an image captured by an imaging unit to generate a shot
image and controlling a transmission unit to transmit, to an
information acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii)
instruction information for instructing the information acquiring
apparatus to acquire supplementary information at the time of
generating the shot image, with a shooting instruction. The
supplementary information is information which is acquired by a
sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be
added to the transmitted shot image.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an
information acquiring method is provided. The method includes
controlling a reception unit to receive a shot image and
instruction information transmitted from an image shooting
apparatus, and performing processing to acquire supplementary
information by a sensor and add the supplementary information to
the received shot image according to the received instruction
information.
[0010] The above and further objects and novel features of the
present invention will more fully appear from the following
detailed description when the same is read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however,
that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are
not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The present invention will more sufficiently be understood
by the following detailed description and the accompanying
drawings.
[0012] Here:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a system diagram for showing a system
configuration of an information addition system according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2A is a block diagram for showing a hardware
configuration of an imaging apparatus of an information addition
system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B
is a block diagram for showing a hardware configuration of a mobile
terminal of the information addition system according to the
embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for showing an example of
automatic transmission setting.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the imaging apparatus of FIG. 2A for
executing an information addition process.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the mobile terminal of FIG. 2B for
executing the information addition process.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information
addition process executed by the imaging apparatus of FIG. 2A and
the mobile terminal of FIG. 2B including the functional
configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information
addition process executed by the imaging apparatus of FIG. 2A and
the mobile terminal of FIG. 2B including the functional
configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information
addition process executed by the imaging apparatus of FIG. 2A and
the mobile terminal of FIG. 2B including the functional
configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for showing of an outline of
addition of information according to a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 of FIG. 2A for
executing an information addition process.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the mobile terminal 2 of FIG. 2B for
executing the information addition process.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information
addition process executed by the imaging apparatus 1 of FIG. 2A and
the mobile terminal 2 of FIG. 2B including the functional
configurations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The
embodiments are not intended as a definition of the limits of the
invention.
First Embodiment
[0026] FIG. 1 is a system diagram for showing a system
configuration of an information addition system according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, an information addition system S
includes an imaging apparatus 1 and a mobile terminal 2.
[0028] Communication between the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile
terminal 2 is performed in two ways: a first communication method
uses BLE (Bluetooth low energy; "Bluetooth" is a registered
trademark) which is a short range wireless communication technology
offering low power consumption; and a second communication method
uses Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) which is a high-speed local area
wireless communication technology capable of mass data
communication. The imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2
are consistently connected via BLE while connection between them
via Wi-Fi is established based on an instruction of connection
received from the imaging apparatus 1 via BLE when mass data should
be transferred.
[0029] FIG. 2A is a block diagram for showing a hardware
configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 of the information
addition system S according to an embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 2B is a block diagram for showing a hardware
configuration of the mobile terminal 2 of the information addition
system S according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] In the following, a hardware configuration of the imaging
apparatus 1 is described first. Then, a hardware configuration of
the mobile terminal 2 will be described. Each of reference numerals
of elements of the imaging apparatus 1 includes "-1" at its end.
Each of reference numerals of elements of the mobile terminal 2
includes "-2" at its end.
[0031] For example, the imaging apparatus 1 is realized by a
digital camera.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 2A, the imaging apparatus 1 includes a CPU
(Central Processing Unit) 11-1, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12-1, a
RAM (Random Access Memory) 13-1, a bus 14-1, an I/O interface 15-1,
an imaging unit 16-1, an input unit 17-1, an output unit 18-1, a
storage unit 19-1, a first communication unit 20-1, a second
communication unit 21-1, and a drive 22-1.
[0033] The CPU 11-1 executes various processes according to
programs stored in the ROM 12-1 or loaded in the RAM 13-1 from the
storage unit 19-1.
[0034] In the RAM 13-1, there are stored data necessary for the CPU
11 to execute various processes, and the like.
[0035] The CPU 11-1, the ROM 12-1 and the RAM 13-1 are connected to
each other via the bus 14-1. The I/O interface 15-1 is also
connected to the bus 14-1. The imaging unit 16-1, the input unit
17-1, the output unit 18-1, the storage unit 19-1, the first
communication unit 20-1, the second communication unit 21-1, and
the drive 22-1 are connected to the I/O interface 15-1.
[0036] The imaging unit 16-1 includes an optical lens unit and an
image sensor (not shown in the drawing).
[0037] The optical lens unit includes lenses for collecting light
to take a picture of a subject such as a focus lens and a zoom
lens.
[0038] The focus lens forms an image of a subject on a
light-receiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens freely
changes the focal length within a predetermined range.
[0039] Further, the optical lens unit is provided with a peripheral
circuit to adjust parameters such as focusing, exposure, and/or
white balancing, as necessary.
[0040] The image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion
element, an AFE (Analog Front End), and the like.
[0041] The photoelectric conversion element includes a CMOS
(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type photoelectric
conversion element, for example. The subject's image is input to
the photoelectric conversion element from the optical lens unit.
The photoelectric conversion element performs photoelectric
conversion (image capturing) of the subject's image and accumulates
image signals for a predetermined period of time. The photoelectric
conversion element provides the AFE with the accumulated image
signals sequentially.
[0042] The AFE executes various signal processing operations such
as A/D (Analog/Digital) conversion on the analog image signals.
Digital signals are generated by the signal processing operations
and output as output signals of the imaging unit 16-1.
[0043] The output signal of the imaging unit 16-1 is hereinafter
referred to as "data of a captured image". The data of the captured
image is supplied to the CPU 11-1, an image processing unit (not
shown in the drawing), or the like.
[0044] The input unit 17-1 includes various buttons, and a variety
of information is input via the input unit 17 in response to
manipulation by a user.
[0045] The output unit 18-1 includes a display, a speaker, or the
like, and outputs images or voices.
[0046] The storage unit 19-1 includes a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic
Random Access Memory), or the like, and various image data is
stored therein.
[0047] The first communication unit 20-1 controls communication
with an external apparatus (in the present embodiment, the mobile
terminal 2) by the first communication method of low-speed but low
power consumption which suits consistent connection. In the present
embodiment, the first communication method uses a communication
technology based on the BLE standard.
[0048] The second communication unit 21-1 controls communication
with an external apparatus (in the present embodiment, the mobile
terminal 2) by the second communication method of high-speed which
suits file transfer. In the present embodiment, the second
communication method uses a communication technology based on the
Wi-Fi standard for wireless LAN.
[0049] A removable media 31-1 including a magnetic disk, an optical
disk, a magneto-optical disc, a semiconductor memory, or the like,
is mounted on the drive 22-1. A program read out from the removable
media 31-1 by the drive 22-1 is installed in the storage unit 19-1
as necessary. Similarly to the storage unit 19-1, the removable
media 31-1 stores various data such as the image data stored in the
storage unit 19-1.
[0050] The mobile terminal 2 is realized by a digital camera, for
example.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 2B, the mobile terminal 2 includes a GPS
unit 23-2 and a sensor unit 24-2 in addition to hardware elements
similar to those described above (a CPU 11-2, a ROM 12-2, a RAM
13-2, a bus 14-2, an I/O interface 15-2, an imaging unit 16-2, an
input unit 17-2, an output unit 18-2, a storage unit 19-2, a first
communication unit 20-2, a second communication unit 21-2, a drive
22-2, and a removable media 31-2). The GPS unit 23-2 and the sensor
unit 24-2 are connected to the I/O interface 15-2.
[0052] The GPS unit 23-2 receives GPS signals from a plurality of
GPS satellites via a GPS receiver antenna. The CPU 11-2 acquires
information on latitude, longitude, and altitude (hereinafter,
referred to as "location information") showing the present location
of an apparatus (in this case, the mobile terminal 2) based on the
GPS signals received by the GPS unit 23-2.
[0053] The sensor unit 24-2 may include various sensors such as a
temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and an acceleration
sensor.
[0054] Descriptions of the hardware of the mobile terminal 2
similar to that of the imaging apparatus 1 are omitted. In other
words, descriptions of the elements of FIG. 2B each of which has
the same name as one of the imaging apparatus 1 (i.e. the CPU 11-2,
the ROM 12-2, the RAM 13-2, the bus 14-2, the I/O interface 15-2,
the imaging unit 16-2, the input unit 17-2, the output unit 18-2,
the storage unit 19-2, the first communication unit 20-2, the
second communication unit 21-2, the drive 22-2, and the removable
media 31-2) are omitted.
[0055] The information addition system S configured as described
above has a function to add information acquired by the GPS unit
23-2 or the sensor unit 24-2 of the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter,
referred to as "supplementary information") to an image shot by the
imaging apparatus 1.
[0056] The present embodiment is based on the premise that the
imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2 exist in the same
environment. The mobile terminal 2 acquires various kinds of sensor
information such as location information or temperature information
which is image shooting environment of the imaging apparatus 1. The
acquired information is added to a corresponding image as the
supplementary information.
[0057] More specifically, in the information addition system S of
the present embodiment, the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile
terminal 2 are connected via Wi-Fi for high-speed communication for
image transmission and via BLE for control information exchange
which offers low power consumption and enables consistent
connection.
[0058] With a shooting instruction, the imaging apparatus 1
instructs, via BLE, the mobile terminal 2 to acquire the sensor
information at the time of the shooting instruction.
[0059] Then, Wi-Fi connection is established and an image shot by
the imaging apparatus 1 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 2. At
the mobile terminal, the sensor information is added to the image.
Further, identification information for identifying an image to
which the supplementary information is to be added such as a file
name of the image is transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1
together with the instruction to acquire the sensor information at
the time of the shooting instruction. At the mobile terminal 2, the
image to which the supplementary information is to be added is
specified based on the identification information and the
supplementary information is added to the image.
[0060] In the case that the image is not transmitted from the
imaging apparatus 1, the mobile terminal 2 transmits the
supplementary information to the imaging apparatus 1 via BLE and
the imaging apparatus 1 acquires the supplementary information and
adds the supplementary information to the image.
[0061] In the present embodiment, whether or not to transmit image
from the imaging apparatus 1 and/or which kind of sensor
information to acquire is determined according to setting.
[0062] In the following, an example of automatic transmission
setting for images according to the embodiment will be
described.
[0063] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for showing an example of the
automatic transmission setting. In the drawing, .quadrature. shows
that a check box is not selected, .box-solid. shows that a check
box is selected, .smallcircle. shows that a radio button is not
selected, and .circle-solid. shows that a radio button is selected.
Further, items which cannot be selected are greyed out. In the
present embodiment, setting for cooperation of the imaging
apparatus 1 and an external apparatus (in the present embodiment,
the mobile terminal 2) can be performed.
[0064] The automatic transmission setting is divided into
apparatus-side image transmission setting and terminal-side
information reception setting.
[0065] In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission
setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed,
the external apparatus can be controlled to acquire the sensor
information when shooting an image to be automatically transmitted
and add the acquired sensor information to the image as the
supplementary information as shown in FIG. 3. In this case, the
kind of information to be acquired by the external apparatus can be
selected in addition to whether or not the setting is performed.
Further, additional setting may be performed to instruct the
external apparatus to transmit the supplementary information to the
apparatus and to add the received supplementary information to
shooting information in the apparatus. By this, it is possible to
make the image in the transmission source match the image stored in
the external apparatus to which the supplementary information has
been added.
[0066] In the case that the terminal-side information reception
setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed,
the imaging apparatus 1 can be controlled to automatically receive
the sensor information acquired from the external apparatus as the
supplementary information.
[0067] More specifically, in the example of FIG. 3, in the case of
performing the apparatus-side image transmission setting of the
automatic transmission setting, the options "automatically transmit
shot image to external apparatus" and "add information acquired by
external apparatus to image automatically transmitted" are selected
and one or more kinds of the supplementary information are
selected. In this example, "location information" is selected.
Further, the external apparatus is instructed to transmit the
supplementary information and the apparatus adds the received
supplementary information to the shooting information in the case
of selecting "add information acquired by external apparatus to
image of camera too".
[0068] In the case of performing the terminal-side information
reception setting of the automatic transmission setting, the option
"receive information to add from external apparatus" is
selected.
[0069] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 for executing
an information addition process.
[0070] The information addition process means a series of actions
taken in order to add to supplementary information at the time of
shooting an image to the image. In the information addition
process, in the case that the apparatus-side image transmission
setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed,
the mobile terminal 2 acquires information (the supplementary
information) at the time of shooting an image, the image is
automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1, and the
acquired information is added to the image. On the other hand, in
the case that the terminal-side information reception setting of
the automatic transmission setting has been performed, the mobile
terminal 2 acquires the sensor information (the supplementary
information) at the time of shooting an image and transmits the
acquired image to the imaging apparatus 1 and the imaging apparatus
1 adds the information to the image.
[0071] In the case that the information addition process is
executed at the imaging apparatus 1, an automatic transmission
setting unit 51, an imaging control unit 52, a communication
control unit 53, and an information addition unit 54 of the CPU
11-1 function as shown in FIG. 4. In an area of the storage unit
19-1, an image storage unit 71 is configured.
[0072] In the image storage unit 71, image data acquired from the
imaging unit 16-1 is stored.
[0073] The automatic transmission setting unit 51 performs the
automatic transmission setting (the apparatus-side image
transmission setting and the terminal-side information reception
setting) according to setting manipulation input by a user through
the input unit 17-1. The automatic transmission setting unit 51
determines a setting state of the automatic transmission setting.
Further, the automatic transmission setting unit 51 generates
information of setting of the automatic transmission setting for
the mobile terminal 2 (hereinafter, referred to as "setting
information") according to how the user sets. By generating and
transmitting setting details of the automatic transmission setting
for the mobile terminal 2 by the automatic transmission setting
unit 51, the user does not have to perform detailed setting
manipulation and operations relating to automatic transmission can
be automatically performed.
[0074] The imaging control unit 52 controls the imaging unit 16-1
to execute an image shooting process based on manipulation to
instruct shooting input by the user through the input unit 17-1.
The imaging control unit 52 acquires an image (hereinafter,
referred to as the "shot image") from the imaging unit 16-1.
[0075] The communication control unit 53 controls the first
communication unit 20-1 and the second communication unit 21-1 to
perform communication according to the setting of automatic
transmission.
[0076] More specifically, the communication control unit 53
controls the first communication unit 20-1 to transmits various
instructions (such as an application launch instruction or a
location information acquisition trigger), information for finding
a corresponding image (hereinafter, referred to as "shot image
information"), and the setting information of the automatic
transmission setting to the mobile terminal 2, and/or establish
communication with the mobile terminal 2 via Wi-Fi by the second
communication unit 21-1. Further, in the case that the
communication via Wi-Fi is established, the communication control
unit 53 controls the second communication unit 21-1 to transmit an
image.
[0077] The location information acquisition trigger includes an
instruction to add the location information to the image for the
apparatus-side image transmission setting, and an instruction to
transmit the shot image information and the location information,
which is corresponding supplementary information, to the imaging
apparatus 1 for the terminal-side information reception setting, as
well as an instruction to acquire the location information.
[0078] The information addition unit 54 adds the supplementary
information which has been acquired in response to the location
information acquisition trigger (for example, the location
information) and received with the shot image information (in the
present embodiment, the file name of the image) to an image
corresponding to the shot image information (which has the same
file name).
[0079] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the mobile terminal 2 for executing the
information addition process.
[0080] In the case that the information addition process is
executed at the mobile terminal 2, an automatic transmission
management unit 91, a communication control unit 92, an application
management unit 93, an information acquisition unit 94, and an
information addition unit 95 of the CPU 11-2 function as shown in
FIG. 5.
[0081] In an area of the storage unit 19-2, an image storage unit
111 is configured.
[0082] In the image storage unit 111, image data acquired from the
imaging apparatus 1 is stored.
[0083] The automatic transmission management unit 91 manages
setting in order for the communication control unit 92 to operate
based on the setting information transmitted from the imaging
apparatus 1.
[0084] The communication control unit 92 controls the first
communication unit 20-2 and the second communication unit 21-2 to
perform communication according to the setting of automatic
transmission. More specifically, the communication control unit 92
controls the first communication unit 20-2 to transmit/receive
various kinds of information (such as the application launch
instruction, the location information acquisition trigger, the shot
image information, the setting information, or the supplementary
information) to/from the imaging apparatus 1 via BLE. Further, the
communication control unit 92 controls the second communication
unit 21-2 to establish communication with the imaging apparatus 1
via Wi-Fi and/or receive an image shot by the imaging apparatus 1
via Wi-Fi.
[0085] The application management unit 93 manages launch and
operations of a predetermined application (hereinafter, simply the
"application").
[0086] The information acquisition unit 94 acquires the sensor
information such as the location information from the GPS unit 23-2
or the temperature information from the sensor unit 24-2.
[0087] The information addition unit 95 adds, to an image of images
automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 which
corresponds to the shot image information (in the present
embodiment, the file name of an image) received with the location
information acquisition trigger (i.e. the image has the same file
name), the supplementary information (for example, the location
information).
[0088] FIGS. 6 to 8 are flow charts for showing steps of the
information addition process executed by the imaging apparatus 1 of
FIG. 2A including the functional configuration shown in FIG. 4 and
the mobile terminal 2 of FIG. 2B including the functional
configuration shown in FIG. 5.
[0089] Before the information addition process starts, pairing
between the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2 via BLE
is completed and thus they are consistently connected via BLE.
While the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology is
inactive (i.e. an off state) then, the imaging apparatus 1 and the
mobile terminal 2 acquire Wi-Fi configuration (i.e. a profile) of
each other and are prepared to easily establish one-to-one
communication connection when Wi-Fi communication is started.
[0090] According to the setting manipulation input by the user
through the automatic transmission setting screen as shown in FIG.
3 and the input unit 17-1, the automatic transmission setting unit
51 of the imaging apparatus 1 performs the apparatus-side image
transmission setting or the terminal-side information reception
setting. In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission
setting has been performed, the image shot by the imaging apparatus
1 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 2 and the supplementary
information acquired by the mobile terminal 2 (for example, the
location information) is added to the image transmitted from the
imaging apparatus 1. In the case that the terminal-side information
reception setting has been performed, the supplementary information
acquired by the mobile terminal 2 (for example, the location
information) is transmitted to the imaging apparatus 1 and added to
the image by the imaging apparatus 1. Further, the automatic
transmission setting unit 51 of the imaging apparatus 1 generates
the setting information for the mobile terminal 2 according to the
setting performed at the imaging apparatus 1.
[0091] <Information Addition Process at Imaging Apparatus
1>
[0092] At Step S111, the imaging control unit 52 controls the
imaging unit 16-1 to execute the image shooting process in response
to the image shooting instruction. As a result, a captured image is
output from the imaging unit 16-1. Imaging processing is performed
for the output captured image and a shot image resulting from the
imaging processing is stored in the image storage unit 71.
[0093] At Step S112, the communication control unit 53 controls the
first communication unit 20-1 to communicate with the mobile
terminal 2 by the first communication method using the
[0094] BLE technology and to transmit the application launch
instruction. Thus, the application is launched at the mobile
terminal 2.
[0095] At Step S113, the communication control unit 53 controls the
first communication unit 20-1 to transmit the location information
acquisition trigger which is an instruction to acquire the location
information and add the acquired location information to the image
as the supplementary information, the shot image information (in
the present embodiment, the file name of the image), and the
setting information for the automatic transmission setting
generated by the automatic transmission setting unit 51.
[0096] At Step S114, the automatic transmission setting unit 51
determines whether or not the apparatus-side image transmission
setting function is selected.
[0097] In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission
setting function is selected, the determination at Step S114 is
"YES" and the process proceeds to Step S115.
[0098] At Step S115, the communication control unit 53 controls the
second communication unit 21-1 to turn on Wi-Fi at the AP (Access
Point) mode.
[0099] At Step S116, the communication control unit 53 determines
whether or not connection via Wi-Fi with the mobile terminal 2 has
been made by the second communication unit 21-1.
[0100] The communication control unit 53 makes the determination by
checking whether or not a notification of connection is received
from the mobile terminal 2.
[0101] In the case that the connection to the mobile terminal 2 has
been made, the determination at Step S116 is "YES" and the process
proceeds to Step S119. Step S119 and the subsequent steps will be
described later.
[0102] In the case that the connection to the mobile terminal 2 has
not been made, the determination at Step S116 is "NO" and the
process proceeds to Step S117.
[0103] At Step S117, the communication control unit 53 determines
whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed and a
connection timeout occurs (in other words, the elapsed time reaches
a time limit).
[0104] In the case that the connection timeout does not occur, the
determination at Step S117 is "NO" and the process returns to Step
S116.
[0105] In the case that the connection timeout occurs, the
determination at Step S117 is "YES" and the process proceeds to
Step S118.
[0106] At Step S118, the communication control unit 53 turns off
Wi-Fi for communication with the mobile terminal 2 by the second
communication unit 21-1 and the process returns to Step S111.
[0107] At Step S119, the communication control unit 53 controls the
second communication unit 21-1 to transmit the shot image to the
mobile terminal 2. As a result of the transmission, the
supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminal 2 (for
example, the location information) is added to the shot image.
[0108] After that, the information addition process at the imaging
apparatus 1 ends.
[0109] On the other hand, in the case that the apparatus-side image
transmission setting function is not selected (in other words, the
terminal-side information reception setting function is selected),
the determination at Step S114 is "NO" and the process proceeds to
Step S120.
[0110] At Step S120, the communication control unit 53 controls the
first communication unit 20-1 to receive the location information
and the shot image information transmitted from the mobile terminal
2.
[0111] At Step S121, the information addition unit 54 adds the
supplementary information (for example, the location information)
to an image stored in the image storage unit 71 which corresponds
to the shot image information. After that, the information addition
process at the imaging apparatus 1 ends.
[0112] <Information Addition Process at Mobile Terminal
2>
[0113] At Step S141, the communication control unit 92 controls the
first communication unit 20-2 to receive the application launch
instruction transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 via BLE. Upon
receiving the application launch instruction, the application
management unit 93 launches the application.
[0114] At Step S142, the communication control unit 92 controls the
first communication unit 20-2 to receive the location information
acquisition trigger, the file name of the shot image which is the
shot image information and the setting information transmitted from
the imaging apparatus 1 via BLE.
[0115] The automatic transmission management unit 91 manages
operations of the communication control unit 92 or the like
according to the received setting information.
[0116] At Step S143, the information acquisition unit 94 acquires
the location information which is a result of location measurement
by the GPS unit 23-2 in the case that the selected kind of the
supplementary information is "location information".
[0117] At Step S144, the automatic transmission management unit 91
determines whether or not the apparatus-side image transmission
setting function has been selected in the received automatic
transmission setting.
[0118] In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission
setting function has been selected, the determination at Step S144
is "YES" and the process proceeds to Step S145.
[0119] At Step S145, the communication control unit 92 controls the
second communication unit 21-2 to turn on Wi-Fi at the ST (Station)
mode.
[0120] At Step S146, the communication control unit 92 controls the
second communication unit 21-2 to search the imaging apparatus 1 of
the access point (AP).
[0121] At Step S147, the communication control unit 92 determines
whether or not the imaging apparatus 1 of the access point (AP) is
found.
[0122] In the case that the imaging apparatus 1 of the access point
(AP) is found (or, connection with the imaging apparatus 1 is
already established), the determination at Step S147 is "YES" and
the process proceeds to Step S150. Step S150 and the subsequent
steps will be described later.
[0123] In the case that the imaging apparatus 1 of the access point
is not found, the determination at Step S147 is "NO" and the
process proceeds to Step S148.
[0124] At Step S148, the communication control unit 92 determines
whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed and the
connection timeout occurs.
[0125] In the case that the connection timeout does not occur, the
determination at Step S148 is "NO" and the process returns to Step
S147.
[0126] In the case that the connection timeout occurs, the
determination at Step S148 is "YES" and the process proceeds to
Step S149.
[0127] At Step S149, the communication control unit 92 turns off
Wi-Fi for communication with the imaging apparatus 1 by the second
communication unit 21-2 and the process returns to Step S141.
[0128] At Step S150, the communication control unit 92 controls the
second communication unit 21-2 to perform communication by the
second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology, connect to
the imaging apparatus 1 of the access point (AP), and send the
notification of connection to the imaging apparatus 1 (in other
words, the connection for communication with the imaging apparatus
1 is established).
[0129] At Step S151, the communication control unit 92 controls the
second communication unit 21-2 to receive the image transmitted
from the imaging apparatus 1. The received image is stored in the
image storage unit 111.
[0130] At Step S152, the information addition unit 95 adds the
supplementary information (for example, the location information)
to an image corresponding to the shot image information. After
that, the information addition process at the mobile terminal 2
ends.
[0131] On the other hand, in the case that the apparatus-side image
transmission setting function has not been selected (in other
words, the terminal-side information reception setting function has
been selected), the determination at Step S144 is "NO" and the
process proceeds to Step S153.
[0132] At Step S153, the communication control unit 92 controls the
first communication unit 20-2 to transmit the location information
and the shot image information to the imaging apparatus 1. The
location information transmitted to the imaging apparatus 1 is
added to an image to the shot image information as the
supplementary information. After that, the information addition
process at the mobile terminal 2 ends. The location information and
the shot image information are held in the case that the BLE
communication is disconnected and retransmitted when the connection
is reestablished.
[0133] As described above, the camera (the imaging apparatus 1) and
the smart phone (the mobile terminal 2 which is the external
apparatus) are connected by the high-speed communication method for
image transmission and the communication method of low power
consumption enabling consistent connection for control information
exchange. With the shooting instruction at the imaging apparatus 1,
the following operations are performed: (1) transmitting, to the
mobile terminal 2 which is the external apparatus, the instruction
information (the location information acquisition trigger) for
instructing to acquire the location information (the supplementary
information) at the time of the shooting instruction to be added to
a shot image and the identification information for identifying the
shot image which will be transmitted later; and (2) controlling the
mobile terminal 2 to add to an image transmitted via the high speed
communication the location information corresponding to the image
based on the shot image information.
[0134] Further, in the case that the automatic transmission has not
been selected, the following operation is performed: (3)
transmitting, to the mobile terminal 2 which is the external
apparatus, the instruction information (the location information
acquisition trigger) for instructing the mobile terminal 2 to
transmit the acquired supplementary information to the imaging
apparatus 1 via the low-power-consumption communication.
Second Embodiment
[0135] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for showing of an outline of
addition of information according to a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0136] As shown in FIG. 9, according to the addition of information
according to the present embodiment, the imaging apparatus 1 does
not acquire location information for a shot image and the mobile
terminal 2 adds location information of high accuracy to the image
(more specifically, the Exif area of the image).
[0137] More specifically, a BLE profile service for notification of
shooting time is prepared in the imaging apparatus 1 to notify the
mobile terminal 2 of the shooting time when shooting an image.
[0138] The mobile terminal 2 is notified of the shooting time,
acquires location information, and draws up a list including a
plurality of sets of shooting time data and corresponding location
information data (hereinafter, referred to as a "location
information list").
[0139] In the case that an image is transmitted from the imaging
apparatus 1 to the mobile terminal 2, the shooting time of the
image is compared with the shooting time data in the location
information list and the location information data corresponding to
the shooting time is added to the image such that the image
includes the location information.
[0140] In the present embodiment, a positional relationship between
the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2 guarantees
short-range communication between them via BLE and it is premised
that the mobile terminal 2 is located near the imaging apparatus 1
at the time of shooting.
[0141] The shooting time can be unique information generated
consistently every time. Thus, there is no necessity to allocate
the identification information for specifying the image and hold
and manage the unique identification information in the imaging
apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2. In other words, the shooting
time (time information added to the shot image) serves both as the
instruction information and the identification information for
identifying the shot image.
[0142] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 of FIG. 2A for
executing an information addition process.
[0143] The information addition process of the present embodiment
means a series of actions taken in order to add the location
information to an image corresponding to the shooting time at the
imaging apparatus 1. Location information acquired around the time
of shooting an image can be regarded as the location information of
the image under the condition that the BLE communication between
the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2 has been
established which guarantees that they are close to each other.
Thus, the location information of high accuracy acquired by the
mobile terminal 2 can be added to the image. Further, it is
possible to prevent a waste of power of the imaging apparatus 1 for
location measurement.
[0144] In the case that the information addition process is
executed at the imaging apparatus 1, an imaging control unit 52, a
time acquisition unit 55, and a communication control unit 53 of
the CPU 11-1 function as shown in FIG. 10.
[0145] In an area of the storage unit 19-1, an image storage unit
71 is configured.
[0146] In the image storage unit 71, image data acquired from the
imaging unit 16-1 is stored.
[0147] The imaging control unit 52 controls the imaging unit 16-1
to execute the image shooting process based on manipulation to
instruct shooting input by the user through the input unit
17-1.
[0148] The time acquisition unit 55 acquires time information on
the time when the imaging unit 16 executes the image shooting
process, i.e. an image is shot and generated (hereinafter, referred
to as "shooting time").
[0149] The communication control unit 53 controls the first
communication unit 20-1 and the second communication unit 21-1 to
perform communication. More specifically, the communication control
unit 53 controls the first communication unit 20-1 to perform
communication with the mobile terminal 2 by the first communication
method using the BLE technology and transmit the acquired shooting
time to the mobile terminal 2. Further, the communication control
unit 53 controls the second communication unit 21-1 to perform
communication with the mobile terminal 2 by the second
communication method using the Wi-Fi technology and transmit the
shot image to the mobile terminal 2.
[0150] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram for showing a
functional configuration of the mobile terminal 2 of FIG. 2B for
executing the information addition process.
[0151] In the case that the information addition process is
executed at the mobile terminal 2, a communication control unit 92,
an information acquisition unit 94, an information comparison unit
96, and an information addition unit 95 of the CPU 11-2 function as
shown in FIG. 11.
[0152] In an area of the storage unit 19-2, a location information
list storage unit 112 and an image storage unit 111 are
configured.
[0153] In the location information list storage unit 112, the
location information list is stored in which the shooting time
acquired from the imaging apparatus 1 corresponds to the location
information acquired by the location measurement at the
corresponding time.
[0154] In the image storage unit 111, image data acquired from the
imaging apparatus 1 is stored.
[0155] The communication control unit 92 controls the first
communication unit 20-2 and the second communication unit 21-2 to
perform communication. More specifically, the communication control
unit 92 controls the first communication unit 20-2 to receive the
shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 via the BLE
communication. Further, the communication control unit 92 controls
the second communication unit 21-2 to receive the image transmitted
from the imaging apparatus 1.
[0156] The information acquisition unit 94 acquires the location
information from the GPS unit 23-2. More specifically, the
information acquisition unit 94 allows the acquired location
information to be stored in the location information list storage
unit 112. In the location information list, the received shooting
time is recorded in correspondence with the acquired location
information.
[0157] The information comparison unit 96 compares the shooting
time of an image with the shooting time data of the location
information list stored in the location information list storage
unit 112. More specifically, the information comparison unit 96
compares the shooting time of the received image with the shooting
time data of the location information list and determines whether
or not the location information list includes the shooting time
data which is the same as the shooting time of the image.
[0158] The information addition unit 95 adds the location
information to the image. More specifically, the information
addition unit 95 adds to the image the location information
recorded in the location information list corresponding to the
shooting time data which is determined to be the same as the
shooting time of the image by the information comparison unit
96.
[0159] FIG. 12 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information
addition process executed by the imaging apparatus 1 of FIG. 2A
including the functional configuration shown in FIG. 10 and the
mobile terminal 2 of FIG. 2B including the functional configuration
shown in FIG. 11. Before the information addition process starts,
pairing between the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2
is completed by the first communication method using the BLE
technology and thus they are consistently connected via BLE. While
the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology is
inactive (i.e. the off state) then, the imaging apparatus 1 and the
mobile terminal 2 acquire the Wi-Fi configuration (i.e. the
profile) of each other to establish one-to-one communication
connection when transmitting an image. Thus, the image is
automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 to the
mobile terminal 2.
[0160] <Information Addition Process at Imaging Apparatus
1>
[0161] At Step S171, the imaging control unit 52 controls the
imaging unit 16-1 to execute the image shooting process in response
to the image shooting instruction. As a result, a captured image is
output from the imaging unit 16-1. The imaging processing is
performed for the output captured image and the shot image is
stored in the image storage unit 71.
[0162] At Step S172, the time acquisition unit 55 acquires shooting
time when the image shooting process is executed by the imaging
unit 16-1.
[0163] At Step S173, the communication control unit 53 controls the
first communication unit 20-1 to communicate with the mobile
terminal 2 by the first communication method using the BLE
technology and to transmit the acquired shooting time to the mobile
terminal 2.
[0164] At Step S174, the communication control unit 53 controls the
second communication unit 21-1 to communicate with the mobile
terminal 2 by the second communication method using the Wi-Fi
technology and to transmit the shot image to the mobile terminal 2.
After that, the information addition process at the imaging
apparatus 1 ends.
[0165] <Information Addition Process at Mobile Terminal
2>
[0166] At Step S191, the communication control unit 92 controls the
first communication unit 20-2 to receive the shooting time
transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 by the BLE
communication.
[0167] At Step S192, the information acquisition unit 94 acquires
the location information which is a result of the location
measurement by the GPS unit 23-3 in the case that the selected kind
of the supplementary information is "location information".
[0168] At Step S193, the information acquisition unit 94 allows the
acquired location information to be stored in the location
information list storage unit 112. In the location information
list, the received shooting time is recorded in correspondence with
the acquired location information.
[0169] At Step S194, the communication control unit 92 controls the
second communication unit 21-2 to receive the image transmitted
from the imaging apparatus 1. The received image is stored in the
image storage unit 111.
[0170] At Step S195, the information comparison unit 96 compares
the shooting time of the received image with the shooting time data
of the location information list and determines whether or not the
location information list includes the shooting time data which is
the same as the shooting time of the image.
[0171] In the case that the location information list does not
include the shooting time data which is the same as the shooting
time of the image, the determination at Step S195 is "NO" and the
information addition process at the mobile terminal 2 ends.
[0172] In the case that the location information list includes the
shooting time data which is the same as the shooting time of the
image, the determination at Step S195 is "YES" and the process
proceeds to Step S196.
[0173] At Step S196, the information addition unit 95 adds the
location information recorded in the location information list
corresponding to the shooting time to the image. After that, the
information addition process at the mobile terminal 2 ends.
[0174] According to the present embodiment, an image can be managed
by using the shooting time without requiring one ID such as the
file name of the image because a plurality of times of shooting
cannot be performed at the same time. In the case that the shooting
time transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 is the same as that
previously stored, the old one may be deleted and the shooting time
may be updated on the assumption that the clock of the imaging
apparatus 1 is adjusted.
[0175] Conventionally, two methods for adding location information
to an image have been known: (i) in the first method, a GPS in an
imaging apparatus (for example, a camera) acquires the location
information and the location information is added to the image by
the imaging apparatus; and (ii) in the second method, the location
information is acquired by a GPS logger or a mobile terminal (for
example, a smart phone) other than the imaging apparatus (the
camera) and added to the image by a device other than the imaging
apparatus (the camera).
[0176] According to the method (i) for adding the location
information by the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera), power
consumption of the GPS is high and the operation time of the
imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) is shortened. Further, accuracy of
the location information is not good due to restrictions of
installation of the GPS antenna.
[0177] According to the method (ii) for adding the location
information by a device other than the imaging apparatus (the
camera), the location information should be acquired continually
because the device cannot recognize when an image is shot. Thus,
current consumption and processing load of the device are high.
Further, since determination of which location information to be
added to which image is based on matching of time of the imaging
apparatus (the camera) and the device, the clocks of the imaging
apparatus (the camera) and the device should be adjusted such that
they are matched.
[0178] In the information addition system S of the present
invention, the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) notifies the
application of the mobile terminal 2 (the smart phone) of the
shooting time of an image via BLE at the time of shooting the
image. The application performs operations to acquire the location
information at the time of being notified of the shooting time via
BLE, store the location information and the notified shooting time,
receive image data from the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera), and,
in the case that the shooting time recorded in the image is the
same as the notified shooting time, add to the image the location
information stored in correspondence with the shooting time.
[0179] In summary, the information addition system S performs the
following operations: [0180] The BLE profile is prepared for
notification of the shooting time in the imaging apparatus 1 (the
camera). [0181] The imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) notifies the
application of the shooting time recorded in the image at the time
of shooting via BLE. [0182] The imaging apparatus 1 (the camera)
does not notify the same shooting time repeatedly. [0183] The
application acquires the location information at the time of being
notified of the shooting time via BLE and stores the location
information and the notified shooting time in the location
information list. [0184] The application can store a plurality of
sets of the shooting time and the location information in the
location information list. [0185] In the case that the application
is notified of shooting time the same as that previously stored
(for example, the clock of the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) is
adjusted), new location information is acquired and stored and the
old one is deleted. [0186] The application receives image data from
the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) and, in the case that the
shooting time recorded in the image is the same as the notified
shooting time, adds to the image the location information stored in
correspondence with the shooting time.
[0187] By the features described above, the information addition
system S achieves the following effects: [0188] Since the imaging
apparatus 1 (the camera) does not acquire any location information,
current consumption of the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) is not
affected. [0189] Since the location information is acquired by the
mobile terminal 2 (the smart phone), accuracy of the location
information is high. [0190] Since the location information is
acquired when the application receives the BLE notification,
current consumption and processing load are lower than those of the
conventional method of continually acquiring the location
information. [0191] Since the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) does
not notify the same shooting time repeatedly, communication load
for the BLE notification is low in the case of adding the location
information to images having the same shooting time such as
sequentially shot images. [0192] Since the process of adding the
location information and the shooting are not performed at the same
time, the image shooting process is not interrupted. [0193] Since
an image edited by the imaging apparatus 1 (the camera) (such as a
resized or trimmed image) has the same shooting time as that of its
original image, the same location information can be added to the
edited image as the original image when the edited image is
transmitted to the mobile terminal 2 (the smart phone).
[0194] The imaging apparatus 1 configured as described above
includes the imaging control unit 52, the first communication unit
20-1, and the communication control unit 53.
[0195] The imaging control unit 52 acquires an image captured by
the imaging unit 16-1 to generate a shot image.
[0196] The first communication unit 20-1 transmits the location
information acquisition trigger, which is instruction information,
to the mobile terminal 2, which is an external apparatus, to
instruct the mobile terminal 2 to acquire supplementary information
to be added to the shot image generated by the imaging control unit
52 which is information acquired by a sensor of the mobile terminal
2.
[0197] With a shooting instruction, the communication control unit
53 controls the imaging control unit 52 to generate the shot image
and the first communication unit 20-1 to transmit the location
information acquisition trigger which is the instruction
information to the mobile terminal 2, which is the external
apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminal 2 to acquire the
supplementary information at the time of the shooting
instruction.
[0198] By this, the imaging apparatus 1 can acquire the
supplementary information at the time of the shooting instruction
even in the case that it does not have a device or a sensor for
acquiring information to be added to the shot image.
[0199] Further, the imaging apparatus 1 further includes the second
communication unit 21-1 for transmitting the shot image generated
by the imaging control unit 52 to the mobile terminal 2, which is
the external apparatus.
[0200] The location information acquisition trigger, which is the
instruction information, may further include an instruction for
instructing the mobile terminal 2, which is the external apparatus,
to add the supplementary information acquired by the mobile
terminal 2 to the shot image.
[0201] With the shooting instruction, the communication control
unit 53 controls the second communication unit 21-1 to transmit the
shot image generated by the imaging control unit 52 to the mobile
terminal 2, which is the external apparatus, and controls the first
communication unit 20-1 to transmit the location information
acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, to the
mobile terminal 2 to instruct the mobile terminal 2 to acquire the
supplementary information to be added to the shot image transmitted
by the second communication unit 21-1 and to add the acquired
supplementary information to the transmitted shot image.
[0202] By this, the mobile terminal 2, which is the external
apparatus, can add information to the shot image and it is possible
to acquire the information to be added to the shot image
efficiently.
[0203] The first communication unit 20-1 further transmits the shot
image information which is identification information for
identifying the shot image transmitted by the second communication
unit 21-1 to the mobile terminal 2.
[0204] With the shooting instruction, the communication control
unit 53 controls the first communication unit 20-1 to transmit
further the shot image information, which is the identification
information, to the mobile terminal 2 which is the external
apparatus.
[0205] By this, it is possible to add to the shot image information
corresponding to the image reliably.
[0206] The location information acquisition trigger, which is the
instruction information, further includes an instruction for
instructing the mobile terminal 2, which is the external apparatus,
to transmit the supplementary information acquired by the mobile
terminal 2 to the imaging apparatus 1, which is an image shooting
apparatus.
[0207] With the shooting instruction, the communication control
unit 53 controls the first communication unit 20-1 to transmit the
location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction
information, to the mobile terminal 2 to instruct the mobile
terminal 2 to transmit the acquired supplementary information to
the imaging apparatus 1 which is the image shooting apparatus.
[0208] By this, it is possible to control the mobile terminal 2 to
automatically transmit the supplementary information to the imaging
apparatus 1. Thus, the information to be added to the image can be
acquired efficiently.
[0209] Further, the imaging apparatus 1 further includes the
automatic transmission setting unit 51 for setting whether or not
the second communication unit 21-1 automatically transmits the shot
image generated by the imaging control unit 52 to the mobile
terminal 2, which is the external apparatus.
[0210] With the shooting instruction, the communication control
unit 53 controls the second communication unit 21-1 to transmit the
shot image generated by the imaging control unit 52 to the mobile
terminal 2, which is the external apparatus, and controls the first
communication unit 20-1 to transmit the location information
acquisition trigger to the mobile terminal 2 to instruct the mobile
terminal 2 to acquire the supplementary information to be added to
the transmitted shot image and to add the acquired supplementary
information to the shot image, in the case that the automatic
transmission setting unit 51 sets to automatic transmission. On the
other hand, in the case that the automatic transmission setting
unit 51 does not set to the automatic transmission, the
communication control unit 53 controls the first communication unit
20-1 to transmit the location information acquisition trigger,
which is the instruction information, to the mobile terminal 2,
which is the external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminal 2
to acquire the supplementary information to be added to the shot
image and to transmit the acquired supplementary information to the
imaging apparatus 1, which is the image shooting apparatus.
[0211] By this, the user can set whether or not to automatically
transmit the image to the mobile terminal 2 arbitrarily. Further,
even in the case that the user does not set to the automatic
transmission, it is possible to add the supplementary information
to the image reliably.
[0212] The location information acquisition trigger, which is the
instruction information, further includes the kind of the
supplementary information to be acquired by the mobile terminal 2,
which is the external apparatus.
[0213] With the shooting instruction, the communication control
unit 53 controls the first communication unit 20-1 to further
transmit the location information acquisition trigger, which is the
instruction information, to the mobile terminal 2, which is the
external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminal 2 to acquire
the supplementary information of the designated kind.
[0214] By this, it is possible to acquire various kinds of
supplementary information to be added to the shot image
efficiently.
[0215] The communication control unit 53 controls the first
communication unit 20-1 to transmit the shooting time which is time
information at the time of generating the shot image by the imaging
unit 16-1 as the instruction information.
[0216] By this, it is unnecessary to perform adjustment for
matching of the clocks of the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile
terminal 2 and transmission of the shot image and the shooting time
suffices.
[0217] The imaging unit 16-1 adds further the shooting time to the
generated shot image.
[0218] The communication control unit 53 controls the first
communication unit 20-1 to transmit the shooting time with the
instruction information to the mobile terminal 2 as the
identification information for identifying the shot image
transmitted by the second communication unit 21-1.
[0219] By this, even in the case that a plurality of images are
sequentially shot and they are transmitted, it is unnecessary to
transmit information for identifying the images separately.
[0220] The instruction information transmitted by the first
communication unit 20-1 is acquired by the mobile terminal 2 prior
to the shot image transmitted by the second communication unit
21-1.
[0221] By this, it is possible to add the supplementary information
at the time of the shooting instruction to the shot image
efficiently.
[0222] The communication control unit 53 controls the second
communication unit 21-1 to transmit the shot image via Wi-Fi.
[0223] The communication control unit 53 controls the first
communication unit 20-1 to transmit the instruction information via
BLE.
[0224] By this, it is possible to realize initiation of the
instruction and transmission of the image at high speed and with
low power consumption.
[0225] The mobile terminal 2 includes the GPS unit 23-2.
[0226] The communication control unit 92 controls the second
communication unit 21-2 to receive the shot image information
transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1.
[0227] The communication control unit 92 controls the first
communication unit 20-2 to receive the instruction information
transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 for instructing to acquire
the supplementary information to be added to the shot image
received by the second communication unit 21-2.
[0228] The information acquisition unit 94 acquires the
supplementary information by the GPS unit 23-2 according to the
instruction information received by the first communication unit
20-2.
[0229] The information addition unit 95 adds the supplementary
information acquired by the information acquisition unit 94 to the
shot image received by the second communication unit 21-2.
[0230] By this, it is possible to add information to an image shot
by the imaging apparatus 1 which is an external apparatus and to
acquire the information to be added to the shot image with
precision and efficiently.
[0231] In the second embodiment, the mobile terminal 2 may include
the sensor unit 24-2 similarly with the first embodiment and
acquire environment information around the imaging apparatus 1 by
various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor,
and an illuminance sensor, as well as the location information by
the GPS. Further, information may be acquired from a web page
related to the sensor information. In the case that an external
apparatus has special information (for example, a sensor detects an
abnormal value), the information may be transmitted to the imaging
apparatus 1 to be added to an image or added to a received image
according to decisions of the external apparatus.
[0232] The communication control unit 92 controls the first
communication unit 20-2 to receive the shooting time which is the
time information at the time of generating the shot image
transmitted from the imaging apparatus 1 as the instruction
information.
[0233] The information acquisition unit 94 acquires the
supplementary information by the GPS unit 23-2 in response to the
reception of the shooting time transmitted from the imaging
apparatus 1.
[0234] By this, it is unnecessary to perform adjustment for
matching of the clocks of the imaging apparatus 1 and the mobile
terminal 2 and transmission of the shot image and the shooting time
suffices.
[0235] The communication control unit 92 controls the first
communication unit 20-2 to receive the shooting time transmitted
from the imaging apparatus 1 as the identification information for
identifying the shot image received by the second communication
unit 21-2.
[0236] The information addition unit 95 identifies the shot image
to which the supplementary information acquired by the information
acquisition unit 94 is to be added by comparing the shooting time
added to the shot image received by the second communication unit
21-2 and the shooting time received by the first communication unit
20-2 which serves as the identification information.
[0237] By this, even in the case that a plurality of images are
sequentially shot and they are transmitted, it is unnecessary to
transmit information for identifying the images separately.
[0238] The mobile terminal 2 further includes the location
information list storage unit 112 for storing a plurality of sets
of the shooting time received by the first communication unit 20-2,
which serves as the identification information, and corresponding
supplementary information acquired by the information acquisition
unit 94.
[0239] The information addition unit 95 compares the shooting time
added to the shot image received by the second communication unit
21-2 and the shooting time stored in the location information list
storage unit 112, which serves as the identification information,
to identify the shot image to which the supplementary information
stored in correspondence with the shooting time is to be added.
[0240] By this, it is possible to prevent the supplementary
information from being added wrong in the case that the order of
reception of shot images changes.
[0241] The location information list storage unit 112 updates the
supplementary information to new one acquired by the information
acquisition unit 94 in the case that the shooting time received by
the first communication unit 20-2, which serves as the
identification information, is the same as the shooting time stored
in correspondence with the supplementary information.
[0242] By this, it is possible to deal with the case in which the
clock of the imaging apparatus 1 is adjusted.
[0243] The instruction information received by the first
communication unit 20-2 is acquired prior to the shot image
received by the second communication unit 21-2.
[0244] By this, it is possible to add the supplementary information
at the time of the shooting instruction to the shot image
efficiently.
[0245] The one kind of the information which can be acquired by the
mobile terminal 2 which is the external apparatus is the location
information.
[0246] By this, it is possible to acquire information to be added
to the shot image efficiently even in the case that the imaging
apparatus 1 does not have a function for acquiring the location
information.
[0247] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the
embodiments described above and various modifications and
alternatives which can achieve the objects of the invention fall
within the scope of the present invention.
[0248] The external apparatus may be a smart phone, a personal
computer, an image shooting apparatus such as a different digital
camera, or a server. The communication may be performed by NFC, via
the public communication line, or the like.
[0249] In other embodiments of the present application, the imaging
apparatus does not have the automatic transmission function and has
only the functions for instructing the external apparatus to
transmit the supplementary information to the imaging apparatus and
adding the received supplementary information to shooting
information.
[0250] While the supplementary information is transmitted from the
external apparatus to the imaging apparatus via BLE in the above
embodiments, the supplementary information may be transmitted via
Wi-Fi in other embodiments.
[0251] Further, a plurality of kinds of the supplementary
information may be acquired by the external apparatus. An
additional kind of the supplementary information may be added to
the instruction information according to shooting situations at the
time of the shooting instruction.
[0252] According to the above embodiments, the shot image is
transmitted after the instruction information for acquisition of
the supplementary information is transmitted. However, the
transmission of the instruction information and the transmission of
the shot image can be performed at the same time if the
supplementary information can be received by the information
acquiring apparatus prior to completion of the transmission of the
shot image.
[0253] Further, in the embodiments above described, timing of the
transmission of the shot image does not have to be the same as that
of the transmission of the instruction information for acquisition
of the supplementary information.
[0254] Therefore, the transmission of the instruction information
and the transmission of the shot image may be performed in sequence
by one communication line (for example, via only Wi-Fi).
[0255] The identification information may be any information which
can identify the shot image. In some embodiments, the external
apparatus records the time of reception of the instruction
information and compares the time with the time information
included in the shot image received later.
[0256] In the above embodiments, the location information is also
added to an image edited by the imaging apparatus 1 (such as a
resized or trimmed image). If the edited image has the same
shooting time as that of its original image, the same location
information can be added to the edited image.
[0257] In the above embodiments, the image shooting process causes
the location information to be acquired. In other embodiments, the
location information is acquired regardless of shooting and the
location information is added to an image in the case that shooting
time of the image is the same as the time of acquiring the location
information.
[0258] The embodiments of the present invention can be applied to a
moving picture as well as a still picture.
[0259] Further, in the embodiments described above, the present
invention has been applied to a digital camera as an example of the
imaging apparatus 1 without limitation.
[0260] For example, the present invention can be applied to general
electronic devices having the function of information addition
processing. More specifically, the present invention can be applied
to a notebook type personal computer, a printer, a television, a
video camera, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a smart
phone, a portable game device, and the like.
[0261] Each of the process sequences described above can be
executed by hardware or software.
[0262] In other words, the functional configurations shown in FIGS.
4, 5, 9 and 10 are merely examples and the present invention is not
limited thereto. The imaging apparatus 1 suffices if it has a
function for performing each of the process sequence as a whole.
Functional blocks to use to implement this function are not limited
to the embodiments of FIGS. 4, 5, 9, and 10.
[0263] In addition, a functional block may be configured by a piece
of hardware, a piece of software, or their combination.
[0264] In the case that the sequence is performed by software, a
program configuring the software is installed in a computer or the
like from a network or a storage medium.
[0265] The computer may be a computer which is incorporated in
dedicated hardware. In addition, the computer may be a computer
capable of executing various functions by installing various
programs therein, for example, a general-purpose personal
computer.
[0266] A storage medium for recording such a program may include
not only the removable media 31 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B which is
distributed separately from the apparatus's main body to provide it
to users, but also a storage medium or the like which is provided
to users in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus's main
body in advance. The removable media 31 includes, for example, a
magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disc, a
magneto-optical disk, or the like. For example, the optical disc
includes a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital
versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) disc, or the
like. The magneto-optical disk includes a Mini-Disk (MD), or the
like. In addition, the storage medium which is provided to the
users in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus's main body
in advance includes, for example, the ROM 12 in FIGS. 2A and 2B in
which a program is recorded, a hard disk included in the storage
unit 19 in FIGS. 2A and 2B, or the like.
[0267] Further, in the description presented here, the steps
describing a program recorded in a recording medium include not
only processes to be executed serially in time in order, but also
processes which are not necessarily executed serially in time but
in a parallel manner or individually.
[0268] In addition, the term "system" as used herein means an
entire apparatus including a plurality of apparatus and/or a
plurality of units.
[0269] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been
described above, the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only
and not intended to limit the technical scope of the present
invention. It will be evident that there are many other possible
embodiments of the present invention and various modifications such
as omission or substitution may be made without departing from the
spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications fall
within the scope and the spirit of the invention described in this
specification and within the scope of the invention as defined in
the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *