IMAGE FILE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE FILE REPRODUCTION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FILE WORKING/EDITING APPARATUS

• US 20090273663A1
• Filed: 07/13/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: YOSHIDA, Hideaki
• Application Number:
  US12/501,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/178 Metadata, e.g. disparity information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: a stereo image data generation unit for generating stereo image data indicating multiple monocular images obtained with a predetermined parallax between the images for a same subject; a metadata generation unit for generating metadata about the stereo image data; an image characteristic information generation unit for generating image characteristic information showing characteristics of an image indicated on the basis of the stereo image data; and an image file generation unit for synthesizing the stereo image data generated by the stereo image data generation unit and the metadata generated by the metadata generation unit to generate an image file; wherein the image file generation unit adds the image characteristic information generated by the image characteristic information generation unit to the metadata generated by the metadata generation unit.

Claims

1. An image file processing apparatus which handles stereo image data indicating multiple monocular images obtained with a predetermined parallax between the images for a same subject, the image file processing apparatus comprising:

stereo image data generation means for generating the stereo image data indicating the multiple monocular images obtained with the predetermined parallax between the images for the same subject;

metadata generation means for generating metadata about the stereo image data;

image characteristic information generation means for generating image characteristic information showing characteristics of an image indicated on the basis of the stereo image data, and

image file generation means for synthesizing the stereo image data generated by the stereo image data generation means and the metadata generated by the metadata generation means to generate an image file;

wherein

the image file generation means adds the image characteristic information generated by the image characteristic information generation means to the metadata generated by the metadata generation means.

2. The image file processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image characteristic information generated by the image characteristic information generation means is average level information indicating an average value of image levels.

3. The image file processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image characteristic information generated by the image characteristic information generation means is local sampling information.

4. An image file reproduction apparatus which handles stereo image data indicating multiple monocular images obtained with a predetermined parallax between the images for a same subject, the image file preproduction apparatus comprising:

reproduction means for reproducing and displaying a stereo image on the basis of a stereo image file configured by synthesizing the stereo image data and metadata which includes image characteristic information showing characteristics of an image indicated by the stereo image data; and

judgment means for performing comparison judgment between image characteristic information extracted from image data of a stereo image file inputted to the image file reproduction apparatus and image characteristic information included in metadata of the stereo image file inputted to the image file reproduction apparatus.

5. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

6. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising control means for prohibiting continuation of a reproduction operation by the reproduction means in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

7. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

8. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising control means for performing disabling processing for disabling a part or all of information included in metadata in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

9. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

10. The image file reproduction apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means, an image reproduction operating by the reproduction means is continued by handling the image data as an ordinary plane image after performing disabling processing of a part or all of information included in the metadata.

11. An image file working/editing apparatus which handles stereo image data indicating multiple monocular images obtained with a predetermined parallax between the images for a same subject, the image file working/editing apparatus comprising:

image working/editing means for performing image working/editing processing for a stereo image file configured by synthesizing the stereo image data and metadata which includes image characteristic information showing characteristics of an image indicated by the stereo image data as a target; and

image file generation means for synthesizing the stereo image data which has been image-working/editing-processed by the image working/editing means and the metadata to generate a stereo image file;

wherein

the image file generation means has image characteristic information update means for updating the image characteristic information in accordance with the contents of the working/editing processing performed by the image working/editing means, and adds the image characteristic information updated by the image characteristic information update means to the metadata to generate an image file.

12. The image file working/editing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising judgment means for extracting image characteristic information indicting characteristics of an image indicated on the basis of stereo image data of an inputted stereo image file and performing comparison judgment between the image characteristic information and image characteristic information included in metadata of the inputted stereo image file.

13. The image file working/editing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

14. The image file working/editing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a part or all of information included in the metadata is disabled in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

15. The image file working/editing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.

16. The image file working/editing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the working/editing processing of the image data by the image working/editing means is prohibited in a case where disagreement is judged by the judgment means.