IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM, DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20100063997A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugino, Akinobu, Tsuruta, Masaaki, Ozaki, Nozomu, Sako, Yoichiro, Ito, Taiji, Sekizawa, Hidehiko, Totsuka, Yonetaro, Kimura, Keiji, Asukai, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

If a user specifies a location on a map image, he or she can see an image shot at that location. An imaging apparatus (an imaging/display apparatus 1 or an imaging apparatus 30) placed on a movable body transmits shot image data to a server apparatus together with additional data that includes location information about a photographing point, so that they are stored in the server apparatus. That is, the server apparatus accumulates pieces of image data obtained by photographing in various places by a great number of imaging apparatuses together with the location information thereof. A user of the display apparatus (the imaging/display apparatus 1 or the display apparatus 40) specifies a location on the map image. Then, the display apparatus transmits location specification information to the server apparatus, and the server apparatus searches for the image data based on the location specification information, and transmits the image data corresponding to the location specification information to the display apparatus. The display apparatus receives and displays the image data.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising a display apparatus, an imaging apparatus to be placed on a movable body for photographing, and a server apparatus, each of said display apparatus and said imaging apparatus being capable of communicating with said server apparatus, comprising:

said imaging apparatus includes

imaging means for photographing,

location detection means for detecting location information, and

control means for performing a transmission control process of causing image data obtained by the photographing by the imaging means and additional data that includes at least the location information detected by the location detection means when the image data was obtained by the photographing to be transmitted to said server apparatus;

said server apparatus includes

storage means for storing the image data and the additional data transmitted from said imaging apparatus, and

control means for performing a search/transmission control process of searching through the image data stored in the storage means based on location specification information transmitted from said display apparatus, and causing image data found to be read and transmitted to said display apparatus; and

said display apparatus includes

display means for performing image display, and

control means for performing a map display process of causing the display means to display a map image, a location specification process of setting the location specification information based on an input on the map image, an image request transmission process of transmitting the location specification information to said server apparatus to make a request for the image data, and a display process of receiving the image data transmitted from said server apparatus in response to the image request transmission process and causing the display means to perform a display operation based on the received image data.

2. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein the movable body is one of a person, a non-human creature, a device that travels on the ground, a device that travels on a sea surface, a device that travels beneath the sea surface, a device that travels through the air, and a device that travels outside the atmosphere of the earth.

3. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein:

said imaging apparatus further includes date/time detection means for detecting a current date and time and generate date/time information indicative of the current date and time detected, and the control means of said imaging apparatus allows the additional data to include the date/time information generated by the date/time detection means when the image data was taken;

the control means of said display apparatus performs a date/time specification process of setting date/time specification information for specifying a date and time, and, in the image request transmission process, transmits the point specification information and the date/time specification information to said server apparatus; and

in the search/transmission control process, the control means of said server apparatus searches through the image data stored in the storage means based on the point specification information and the date/time specification information transmitted from said display apparatus.

4. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein:

said server apparatus includes transmission means for transmitting photographing request data specifying the location information; and

the control means of said imaging apparatus causes the imaging means to photograph, if a current location of said imaging apparatus is determined to coincide with the location specified by the photographing request data.

5. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein, if a current location of said imaging apparatus is determined to coincide with a location specified by the photographing request data, the control means of said imaging apparatus causes the image data obtained by the photographing by the imaging means and the additional data that includes at least the location information detected by the location detection means when the image data was obtained by the photographing to be transmitted to said server apparatus.

6. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a plurality of pieces of image data have been received from said server apparatus, the control means of said display means causes the display means to display the plurality of pieces of image data in an order in which the plurality of pieces of image data were uploaded to said server apparatus.

7. The image display system according to claim 3, wherein, in a case where a plurality of pieces of image data have been received from said server apparatus, the control means of said display means causes the display means to display the plurality of pieces of image data based on the date/time information of the plurality of pieces of image data.

8. A display apparatus comprising:

display means for performing image display;

communication means for performing data communication with an external server apparatus; and

control means for performing a map display process of causing said display means to display a map image, a location specification process of setting location specification information based on an input on the map image, an image request transmission process of transmitting the location specification information to the server apparatus via said communication means to make a request for image data, and a display process of causing said communication means to receive the image data transmitted from the server apparatus in response to the image request transmission process and causing said display means to perform a display operation based on the received image data.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, in the location specification process, said control means sets information of a latitude and longitude of a point specified for the map image as the location specification information.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means further performs a date/time specification process of setting date/time specification information for specifying a date and time, and, in the image request transmission process, performs a process of transmitting the point specification information and the date/time specification information to the server apparatus.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display means is configured to be arranged in front of an eye of a user to perform image display.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising imaging means for photographing and location detection means for detecting location information, wherein

said control means is additionally capable of performing a transmission control process of causing image data obtained by the photographing by said imaging means and additional data that includes at least the location information detected by said location detection means when the image data was obtained by the photographing to be transmitted to the server apparatus via said communication means.

13. A display method comprising:

a map display process step of causing a map image to be displayed;

a location specification process step of setting location specification information based on an input on the map image;

an image request transmission process step of transmitting the location specification information to an external server apparatus to make a request for image data; and

a display step of receiving the image data transmitted from the server apparatus in response to the image request transmission process, and performing a display operation based on the received image data.

14. The display method according to claim 13, wherein:

the image data is stored in the server apparatus with date/time information as additional data, the date/time information indicating a date/time when the image data was obtained by photographing in the server apparatus; and

said image request transmission process step transmits date/time specification information specified together with the location specification information to the server apparatus.

15. The display method according to claim 13, wherein, in a case where a plurality of pieces of image data have been received, said display step displays the plurality of pieces of image data in an order in which the plurality of pieces of image data were uploaded to the server apparatus.

16. The display method according to claim 13, wherein, in a case where a plurality of pieces of image data have been received, said display step displays the plurality of pieces of image data based on date/time information of the plurality of pieces of image data.