IMAGE GROUP TITLE ASSIGNING DEVICE, IMAGE GROUPING DEVICE, REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE DETERMINATION DEVICE FOR IMAGE GROUP, IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, CAMERA, AND IMAGE DISPLAY PROGRAM

• US 20100278396A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Mitsuhashi, Setsu, Tanaka, Mikiya
• Application Number:
  US12/811,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20100278396A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• 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

An image group title assigning device includes: a title candidate assigning means for assigning a plurality of title candidates to an image group having a plurality of images; a characteristic amount calculating means for individually calculating characteristic amounts of a plurality of images included in the image group in association with each of the plurality of title candidates; and a title determining means for determining a title representing the image group from among the title candidates based upon a characteristic amount of each of the images calculated for each of the title candidates.

Claims

1. An image group title assigning device, comprising:

a title candidate assigning means for assigning a plurality of title candidates to an image group having a plurality of images;

a characteristic amount calculating means for individually calculating characteristic amounts of a plurality of images included in the image group in association with each of the plurality of title candidates; and

a title determining means for determining a title representing the image group from among the title candidates based upon a characteristic amount of each of the images calculated for each of the title candidates.

2. An image group title assigning device according to claim 1, wherein:

the title determining means calculates, for each of the title candidates, probability information of each of the images corresponding to the individual title candidates, further calculates a sum of probability information of equal to or greater than a predetermined value among the probability information for each of the title candidates, and determines a title candidate having a maximum value of the sum of the probability information as a title representing the image group.

3. An image group title assigning device according to claim 2, wherein:

if, with respect to the title candidate, a number of images having probability information of equal to or greater than the predetermined value to a number of images included in the image group falls below a predetermined proportion, the title determining means excludes said title candidate.

4. An image group title assigning device according to claim 1, wherein:

the image group is grouped according to shooting date and time.

5. An image group title assigning device according to claim 1, wherein:

the image group is grouped according to shooting position.

6. An image group title assigning device according to claim 4, wherein:

the title candidate assigning means assigns the plurality of title candidates in accordance with the shooting date and time or the shooting position.

7. A camera, comprising an image group title assigning device according to claim 1.

8. An image title assigning device, comprising:

a title candidate assigning means for assigning a predetermined number of title candidates to an image;

a characteristic amount calculating means for calculating a characteristic amount of the image in association with each of the predetermined number of title candidates; and

a title determining means for determining a title of the image from among the title candidates based upon the characteristic amount of the image calculated for each of the title candidates.

9. An image title assigning device according to claim 8, wherein:

the title candidate assigning means selects a predetermined number of title candidates in accordance with shooting date and time information.

10. An image title assigning device according to claim 8, wherein:

the title candidate assigning means selects a predetermined number of title candidates in accordance with shooting position information.

11. An image title assigning device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a face detection means for detecting a face of a person in the image based upon data of said image, wherein;

the title candidate assigning means selects a predetermined number of title candidates according to whether or not a face has been detected by the face detection means.

12. An image title assigning device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a face identification means for identifying a face of the person, wherein;

the title candidate assigning means selects a predetermined number of title candidates in accordance with an identification result of a face by the face identification means.

13. An image title assigning device according to claim 8, wherein:

the title candidate assigning means assigns a predetermined number of title candidates to an image group having a plurality of images;

the characteristic amount calculating means individually calculates characteristic amounts of a plurality of images included in the image group in association with each of the predetermined numbers of title candidates; and

the title determining means determines a title representing the image group from among the title candidates based upon the characteristic amount of the image calculated for each of the title candidates.

14. A camera, comprising an image title assigning device according to claim 8.

15. An image grouping device, comprising:

a characteristic amount calculating means for individually calculating, for each of image groups having a plurality of images, characteristic amounts of a plurality of images included in each image group;

a title determining means for determining a title representing each of the image groups based upon characteristic amounts of the individual images;

a calculation means for calculating time difference information between the image groups based upon information of shooting date and time of individual images included in the plurality of image groups; and

an integration means for putting the image groups into one image group if titles determined by the title determining means are same and time difference information calculated by the calculation means is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

16. An image grouping device according to claim 15, wherein:

the plurality of image groups are each grouped based upon the information of shooting date and time; and

the characteristic amount calculating means individually calculates characteristic amounts associated with the information of shooting date and time.

17. An image grouping device according to claim 15, wherein:

the time difference information is a difference between a last shooting time of an image included in one image group and an earliest shooting time of an image included in another image group.

21. A camera, comprising an image grouping device according to claim 15.

18. An image grouping device, comprising:

a characteristic amount calculating means for individually calculating, for each of image groups having a plurality of images, characteristic amounts of a plurality of images included in each image group;

a title determining means for determining a title representing each of the image groups based upon characteristic amounts of the individual images;

a calculation means for calculating distance information between the image groups based upon shooting position information of individual images included in the plurality of image groups; and

an integration means for putting the image groups into one image group if titles determined by the title determining means are same and distance information calculated by the calculation means is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

19. An image grouping device according to claim 18, wherein:

the plurality of image groups are each grouped based upon the shooting position information; and

the characteristic amount calculating means individually calculates characteristic amounts associated with the shooting position information.

20. An image grouping device according to claim 18, wherein:

the distance information is a shortest distance between a shooting position of an image included in one image group and a shooting position of an image included in another image group.

22. A representative image determination device for image group, comprising:

a determination means for determining an image representing an image group having a plurality of images from said image group; and

a control means for controlling the determination means so as to determine the representative image based upon selection criterion information, which is set according to a title assigned to the image group, to select the representing image.

23. A representative image determination device for image group according to claim 22, further comprising:

a storage means for storing in advance a plurality of selection criterion information each corresponding to a plurality of titles, wherein;

the control means reads out selection criterion information corresponding to a title assigned to the image group from the storage means and, based upon said selection criterion information, controls the determination means so as to determine a representative image.

24. A representative image determination device for image group according to claim 23, wherein:

the selection criterion information includes information to instruct processing performed in accordance with the title; and

the determination means determines the representative image based upon a result of the processing.

25. A representative image determination device for image group according to claim 24, wherein:

the selection criterion information includes position information related to an area name included in the title; and

the determination means determines the representative image based upon shooting position information of individual images constituting the image group and position information read out from the storage means.

26. A representative image determination device for image group according to claim 24, wherein:

the selection criterion information includes information of color corresponding to the title; and

the determination means determines the representative image based upon region information of the color in individual images constituting the image group.

27. A representative image determination device for image group according to claim 24, wherein:

processing performed in accordance with the title includes an instruction to obtain subject tracking information related to individual images constituting the image group; and

the determination means determines the representative image based upon the obtained subject tracking information.

28. A camera, comprising a representative image determination device according to claim 22.

29. An image display device, comprising:

a subject recognition means for carrying out subject recognition processing for image data grouped on a predetermined condition in advance and classified and recorded in each group so as to recognize a subject included in an image;

a setting means for setting a selection criterion to select a representative image from image data recorded in each group based upon a recognition result by the subject recognition means; and

a selection means for selecting the representative image from image data recorded in each group based upon the selection criterion set by the setting means.

30. An image display device according to claim 29, further comprising:

a display means for displaying information related to the representative image selected by the selection means and information related to a group that includes the representative image in association with each other.

31. An image display device according to claim 29, wherein:

as a result of a subject recognition by the subject recognition means, the setting means makes a decision as to whether or not an image in which a person is captured is included in each group, and, when a decision is made that an image in which a person is captured is included, sets a first selection criterion as the selection criterion, whilst, when a decision is made that an image in which a person is captured is not included, sets a second selection criterion as the selection criterion.

32. An image display device according to claim 31, wherein:

the first selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image based upon a face of a person captured in an image.

33. An image display device according to claim 32, wherein:

the first selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image by making a decision as to whether or not a face of the person is a face of a family member or an acquaintance, whether or not a face of the person is facing a front, whether or not a face of the person is a smile, and whether or not an area of a face of the person is a greatest.

34. An image display device according to claim 31, wherein:

the second selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image by making a decision as to whether or not the image is not blurring, whether or not the image has a main subject in focus, whether or not the image is with proper brightness, and whether or not the image is captured in an optimal composition.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program, causing a computer to carry out:

a subject recognition procedure for carrying out subject recognition processing for image data grouped on a predetermined condition in advance and classified and recorded in each group so as to recognize a subject included in an image;

a setting procedure for setting a selection criterion to select a representative image from image data recorded in each group based upon a recognition result by the subject recognition procedure; and

a selection procedure for selecting the representative image from image data recorded in each group based upon the selection criterion set by the setting procedure.

36. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program according to claim 35, further comprising:

a display procedure for displaying information related to the representative image selected by the selection procedure and information related to a group that includes the representative image in association with each other.

37. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program according to claim 35, wherein:

as a result of a subject recognition by the subject recognition procedure, the setting procedure makes a decision as to whether or not an image in which a person is captured is included in each group, and, when a decision is made that an image in which a person is captured is included, sets a first selection criterion as the selection criterion, whilst, when a decision is made that an image in which a person is captured is not included, sets a second selection criterion as the selection criterion.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program according to claim 37, wherein:

the first selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image based upon a face of a person captured in an image.

39. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program according to claim 38, wherein:

the first selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image by making a decision as to whether or not a face of the person is a face of a family member or an acquaintance, whether or not a face of the person is facing a front, whether or not a face of the person is a smile, and whether or not an area of a face of the person is a greatest.

40. A non-transitory computer readable medium having an image display program according to claim 37, wherein:

the second selection criterion is a selection criterion to select the representative image by making a decision as to whether or not the image is not blurring, whether or not the image has a main subject in focus, whether or not the image is with proper brightness, and whether or not the image is captured in an optimal composition.