IMAGE MANAGING APPARATUS AND IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20070211151A1
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gotoh, Tomohiko, Ueno, Ichiro, Kojima, Tamaki, Baiping, Liao, Xu, Chao
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data

Abstract

An image managing apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes image information storage means that stores image information corresponding to captured image data, and cluster managing means that manages the image information by hierarchical clusters that include a plurality of layers of clusters and whose structure is fixed from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer.

Claims

1. An image managing apparatus, comprising:

image information storage means for storing image information corresponding to captured image data; and

cluster managing means for managing the image information by hierarchical clusters that include a plurality of layers of clusters and whose structure is fixed from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer.

2. The image managing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image information includes location information on places at which the image data are captured, and

the cluster managing means manages the image information in accordance with a relative distance based on the location information.

3. The image managing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if a cluster has a fixed property, the cluster managing means performs management with a structure of the cluster fixed even if the cluster is of a layer lower than the predetermined layer.

4. An image display apparatus, comprising:

image information storage means for storing location information on places at which image data are captured;

display layer determining means for determining, of layers from an uppermost layer to a lowermost layer, a layer to be displayed as a display layer;

drawing means for drawing with respect to the display layer the places at which the image data are captured as an image location display based on the location information;

map storage means for storing a map for each layer from the uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way down to the lowermost layer; and

map obtaining means for obtaining a map corresponding to the display layer if the map is stored in the map storage means, wherein

if the map corresponding to the display layer is obtained by the map obtaining means, the drawing means superposes the map with the image location display.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

if the map corresponding to the display layer is obtained, the drawing means draws the image location display based on a predetermined position on the map or based on relative locations of the places at which the image data are captured, and

if the map corresponding to the display layer is not obtained, the drawing means draws the image location display based on the relative locations of the places at which the image data are captured.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

if the map corresponding to the display layer is obtained, the drawing means draws the image location display at a predetermined position on the map, and

if the map corresponding to the display layer is not obtained, the drawing means draws the image location display based on relative locations of the places at which the image data are captured.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the drawing means does not display the content of the image data as the image location display for the layers from the uppermost layer to a certain layer on the way to the lowermost layer, and

the drawing means displays the content of the image data as the image location display for layers lower than the certain layer.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the drawing means does not display the content of the image data as the image location display if the map corresponding to the display layer is obtained, and

the drawing means displays the content of the image data as the image location display if the map corresponding to the display layer is not obtained.

9. An image display apparatus, comprising:

image information storage means that stores location information on places at which image data are captured;

cluster managing means that manages the image information by hierarchical clusters that include a plurality of layers of clusters and whose structure is fixed from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer;

display layer specifying means that specifies, of layers from the uppermost layer to the lower most layer, a layer to be displayed as a display layer;

drawing means that draws with respect to the display layer the places at which the image data are captured as an image location display based on the location information;

map storage means that stores a map for each layer from the uppermost layer to the predetermined layer; and

map obtaining means that obtains a map corresponding to the display layer if the map is stored in the map storage means, wherein

if the map corresponding to the display layer is stored in the map obtaining means, the drawing means superposes the map obtained by the map obtaining means with the image location display.

10. An image managing method with respect to an image managing apparatus that manages location information on places at which image data are captured through a node tree of a tree structure, the image managing method comprising:

setting, with an area from an uppermost layer in the node tree up to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer made to be a fixed area, as an initial branch node a node in a layer directly beneath the fixed area that is close in distance to location information of image data that is to be newly added;

recursively updating the branch node by tracing a node that is lo lower than the branch node and close in distance to the location information of the image data that is to be newly added;

generating, with a node that is lower than the branch node and close in distance to the location information of the image data to be newly added as a candidate node, a new node between the branch node and the candidate node; and

linking a child node of the new node with the image data to be newly added.

11. A program with respect to an image managing apparatus that manages location information on places at which image data are captured through a node tree of a tree structure, wherein the program makes a computer execute the following steps:

a step of setting, with an area from an uppermost layer in the node tree up to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer made to be a fixed area, as an initial branch node a node in a layer directly beneath the fixed area that is close in distance to location information of image data that is to be newly added;

a step of recursively updating the branch node by tracing a node that is lower than the branch node and close in distance to the location information of the image data that is to be newly added;

a step of generating, with a node that is lower than the branch node and close in distance to the location information of the image data to be newly added as a candidate node, a new node between the branch node and the candidate node; and

a step of linking a child node of the new node with the image data to be newly added.

12. An image displaying method with respect to an image managing apparatus that includes image information storage means that stores location information of places at which image data are captured and map storage means that stores a map for each layer from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way down to a lowermost layer, the image managing method comprising:

accepting an enlargement or reduction operation with respect to an image location display indicating the places at which the image data are captured;

obtaining a map if a display layer to be displayed, of layers from the uppermost layer to the lowermost layer, is switched due to the operation, and if a map corresponding to the display layer is stored in the map storage means;

drawing with respect to the display layer and as the image location display the places at which the image data are captured based on the location information; and

superposing the image location display with the map corresponding to the display layer if the map is obtained.

13. A program with respect to an image managing apparatus that includes image information storage means that stores location information of places at which image data are captured and map storage means that stores a map for each layer from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way down to a lowermost layer, wherein the program makes a computer execute the following steps:

a step of accepting an enlargement or reduction operation with respect to an image location display indicating the places at which the image data are captured;

a step of obtaining a map if a display layer to be displayed, of layers from the uppermost layer to the lowermost layer, is switched due to the operation, and if a map corresponding to the display layer is stored in the map storage means;

a step of drawing with respect to the display layer and as the image location display the places at which the image data are captured based on the location information; and

a step of superposing the image location display with the map corresponding to the display layer if the map is obtained.

14. An image managing apparatus, comprising:

a storage that stores image information corresponding to captured image data; and

a controller that manages the image information by hierarchical clusters that include a plurality of layers of clusters and whose structure is fixed from an uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way to a lowermost layer.

15. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an image information storage section that stores location information on places at which image data are captured;

a display layer determining section that determines, of layers from an uppermost layer to a lowermost layer, a layer to be displayed as a display layer;

a drawing section that draws with respect to the display layer the places at which the image data are captured as an image location display based on the location information;

a map storage section that stores a map for each layer from the uppermost layer to a predetermined layer on the way down to the lowermost layer; and

a map obtaining section that obtains a map corresponding to the display layer if the map is stored in the map storage section, wherein

if the map corresponding to the display layer is obtained by the map obtaining section, the drawing section superposes the map with the image location display.