Image processing systems and methods for automatically generating image album data from multiple cameras

• US 10,068,158 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kashiwa, Kotaro, Marukawa, Kazuyuki, Ohzeki, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEBRIEL, SELAM T
• Application Number:
  US14/068,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20140056539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 3482113, 3482111, 34833301, 3482312
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3204 of data relating to a user, sender, addressee, machine or electronic recording medium H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

First image data captured by a first image pickup apparatus and second image data captured by a second image pickup apparatus are stored in storing means. Thus, it is possible to correlate images with each other by using identification information of a user or the image pickup apparatus and identification information of an image capturing time, an image capturing position, or an image pickup target (event). Further, the correlated image data is edited on the basis of editing structure data, thereby generating album image data.

Claims

1. An image processing system, comprising:

a display device; and

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to;

input first image data taken by a first image pickup apparatus, first additional information that corresponds to the first image data, second image data taken by a second image pickup apparatus different from the first image pickup apparatus and second additional information that corresponds to the second image data, wherein the first additional information is generated by the first image pickup apparatus and the second additional information is generated by the second image pickup apparatus;

determine a correlation between the first image data and the second image data based on the first additional information and the second additional information;

determine, based on the determined correlation, an album structure data from a plurality of album structure data, wherein the determined album structure data corresponds to link information for the determined correlation, wherein information associated with an event for which the first image data and the second image data are taken is designated as the link information; and

generate an album data to display the determined album structure data based on the determined correlation, wherein the first image data and the second image data are arranged based on layout information of the determined album structure data, on the display device.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the layout information includes first layout position information for the first image data and second layout position information for the second image data.

3. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus which captures a common image.

4. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second image data in the determined album structure data is arranged such that the second image data in the determined album structure data has priority over the first image data in the determined album structure data.

5. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second image pickup apparatus takes the second image data based on a trigger signal from the first image pickup apparatus, wherein the trigger signal is generated based on a shoot timing of the first image pickup apparatus.

6. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is arranged in at least one of the first image pickup apparatus or the second image pickup apparatus.

7. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to correlate a specific piece of the first image data with a specific piece of the second image data based on the link information.

8. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the CPU is further configured to correlate the specific piece of the first image data with the specific piece of the second image data based on the first additional information and the second additional information.

9. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first additional information is first identification information of the first image pickup apparatus or of a user of the first image pickup apparatus and wherein the second additional information is second identification information of the second image pickup apparatus or of a user of the second image pickup apparatus.

10. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first additional information and the second additional information are image-capture time information.

11. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first additional information and the second additional information are image-capture positional information.

12. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first additional information and the second additional information are identification information of an image pickup target.

13. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to output the generated album data onto a recording medium.

14. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to output the generated album data to an external device via a network.

15. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to output access information to allow a user to access the generated album data.

16. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to process the first image data and the second image data respectively acquired from the first image pickup apparatus and the second image pickup apparatus, wherein the second image data is arranged with respect to the first image data such that the second image data has priority over the first image data.

17. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the event for which at least one of the first image data or the second image data taken is positional information.

18. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the event for which at least one of the first image data or the second image data taken is time information.

19. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of album structure data includes the layout information that arranges the first image data and the second image data on the display device.

20. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the determined correlation between the first image data and the second image data is determined based on a link condition, and wherein the link condition corresponds to at least a user ID of the first image pickup apparatus.

21. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

acquire first image data taken by a first image pickup apparatus, first additional information that corresponds to the first image data, second image data taken by a second image pickup apparatus different from the first image pickup apparatus and second additional information that corresponds to the second image data, wherein the first additional information is generated by the first image pickup apparatus and the second additional information is generated by the second image pickup apparatus;

determine a correlation between the first image data and the second image data based on the first additional information and the second additional information;

determine, based on the determined correlation, an album structure data from a plurality of album structure data, wherein the determined album structure data corresponds to link information for the determined correlation, wherein information associated with an event for which the first image data and the second image data are taken is designated as the link information; and

arrange the determined album structure data as album data and display the determined album structure data, based on layout information of the determined album structure data,

wherein the first image data is arranged so as to be correlated with the second image data.

22. A method of processing image data, comprising:

in at least one processor;

acquiring first image data taken by a first image pickup apparatus, first additional information corresponding to the first image data, second image data taken by a second image pickup apparatus different from the first image pickup apparatus and second additional information corresponding to the second image data, wherein the first additional information is generated by the first image pickup apparatus and the second additional information is generated by the second image pickup apparatus;

determining a correlation between the first image data and the second image data based on the first additional information and the second additional information;

determining, based on the determined correlation, an album structure data from a plurality of album structure data, wherein the determined album structure data corresponds to link information for the determined correlation, wherein information associated with an event for which the first image data and the second image data are taken is designated as the link information; and

arranging the determined album structure data as album data to display the determined album structure data based on layout information of the determined album structure data, wherein the first image data is arranged so as to be correlated with the second image data, on a display device.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:

acquiring first image data taken by a first image pickup apparatus, first additional information corresponding to the first image data, second image data taken by a second image pickup apparatus different from the first image pickup apparatus and second additional information corresponding to the second image data, wherein the first additional information is generated by the first image pickup apparatus and the second additional information is generated by the second image pickup apparatus;

determining a correlation between the first image data and the second image data based on the first additional information and the second additional information;

determining, based on the determined correlation, an album structure data from a plurality of album structure data, wherein the determined album structure data corresponds to link information for the determined correlation, wherein information associated with an event for which the first image data and the second image data are taken is designated as the link information; and

arranging the determined album structure data as album data to display the determined album structure data based on layout information of the determined album structure data, wherein the first image data is arranged so as to be correlated with the second image data, on a display device.