Animation data index creation drawn from image data sampling composites

• US 5,459,830 A
• Filed: 07/10/1992
• Issued: 10/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Toshiro C., Ohba, Akio, Terasawa, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fetting, Anton W.
• Application Number:
  US07/912,236
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 395/152, 395/154, 345/121, 345/122, 348/155
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2587 Laser Discs; Optical disc using analog recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/326 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P.)
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen

Abstract

An image data processing apparatus by which a general flow of images can be grasped readily and an editing operation can be performed at a high efficiency includes a sample data producing unit for one-dimensionally sampling animation image data successively received from an animation image generating source in one direction while successively moving the sampling position in the other direction to produce data of a still image, a display screen for displaying thereon a group of such still images of the still image data received from the sample data producing unit, point designating and area designating units for designating a predetermined point and a predetermined area of the still images displayed on the display, and a time code converting unit for producing time codes corresponding to the point and the area designated by the point and area designating units, respectively.

Claims

1. An image data processing apparatus, comprising:

an animation image generating source for supplying data representing a series of frames of animation images to be displayed spatially in two dimensions;

sample data producing means for sampling along one direction the animation image data of successive frames received from said animation image generating source while successively moving a sampling position in another direction and producing image data representing a still composite image derived from a plurality of frames of the thus sampled animation image data;

displaying means having a display screen for displaying thereon simultaneously a group of still composite images each derived from a plurality of frames of the still image data received from said sample data producing means;

point designating means for designating a predetermined point of the still images displayed on said display means; and

time code converting means for producing a time code corresponding to the predetermined point designated by said point designating means.

2. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising warp mode designating means for designating a warp mode, and wherein when said warp mode designating means designates a warp mode, said animation image generating source generates an image at a time code that corresponds to a point designated by said point designating means.

3. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time code is displayed as a numerical value on the display screen of said displaying means.

4. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display screen of said displaying means has a first portion for displaying said group of still images and a monitoring portion on which the animation image data of one image are displayed.

5. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for successively detecting audio data corresponding to the animation image data to be displayed in two dimensions, means for converting the detected audio data into video data for visual display, and means for causing the video data to be displayed on said display means.

6. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the video data displayed on said displaying means contain chrominance data of a color selected to correspond to a selected characteristic of the audio data.

7. An image data processing apparatus, comprising:

an animation image generating source for supplying data representing a series of frames of animation images to be displayed spatially in two dimensions;

sample data producing means for sampling one along direction the animation image data of successive frames received from said animation image generating source while successively moving a sampling position in another direction and producing image data representing a still composite image derived from a plurality of frames of the thus sampled animation image data;

displaying means having a display screen for displaying thereon a group of still composite images each derived from a plurality of frames of the still image data received from said sample data producing means;

area designating means for designating a predetermined area of the still images displayed on said display means; and

time code converting means for producing a time code corresponding to the predetermined area designated by said area designating means.

8. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising repeat mode designating means for designating a repeat mode, wherein when said repeat mode designating means designates a repeat mode said animation image generating source generates a same image for all points between time codes corresponding to areas designated by said area designating means.

9. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the time code is displayed as a numerical value on the display screen of said displaying means.

10. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display screen of said displaying means has a first portion for displaying said group of images and a monitoring portion on which the animation image data of one image are displayed.

11. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for successively detecting audio data corresponding to the animation image data to be displayed in two dimensions, means for converting the detected audio data into video data, and means for causing the video data to be displayed on said displaying means.

12. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the video data displayed on said displaying means contain chrominance data of a color selected to correspond to a selected characteristic of the audio data.

13. An image data processing apparatus, comprising:

an animation image generating source for supplying data representing a series of frames of animation images to be displayed spatially in two dimensions;

sample data producing means for sampling along one direction the animation image data of successive frames received from said animation image generating source while successively moving a sampling position in another direction and producing image data representing a still composite image derived from a plurality of frames of the thus sampled animation image data;

displaying means having a display screen for displaying simultaneously thereon a group of still composite images each derived from a plurality of frames of the still image data received from said sample data producing means;

point designating means for designating a predetermined point of the still images displayed on said display means;

area designating means for designating a predetermined area of the still images displayed on said display means; and

time code converting means for producing a first time code corresponding to the predetermined point designated by said point designating means and a second time code corresponding to the area designated by said area designating means.

14. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising insert mode designating means for designating an insert mode, wherein when said insert mode designating means designates an insert mode said animation image generating source inserts animation image data between time codes corresponding to areas designated by said area designating means into a time code corresponding to a point designated by said point designating means.

15. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the time code is displayed as a numerical value on the display screen of said displaying means.

16. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the display screen of said displaying means has a first portion for displaying said group of still images and a monitoring portion on which the animation image data of one image are displayed.

17. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising means for successively detecting audio data corresponding to the animation image data to be displayed two-dimensionally, means for converting the detected audio data into video data for display and means for causing the video data to be displayed on said displaying means.

18. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the video data displayed on said displaying means contain chrominance data of a color selected to correspond to a selected characteristic of the audio data.

19. An image data processing apparatus, comprising:

an animation image generating source for supplying data of a series of frames of animation images to be displayed spatially in two dimensions;

sample data producing means for one-dimensionally sampling along one direction the animation image data of successive frames received from said animation image generating source while successively moving the sampling position in another direction and producing data representing a still composite image derived from a plurality of frames of the thus sampled animation image data;

displaying means having a display screen for displaying simultaneously thereon a group of still composite images each derived from a plurality of frames of the still image data received from said sample data producing means;

a memory for storing therein data representing a plurality of video index formats;

selecting means for selecting data corresponding to one of said video index formats from said memory;

data processing means for arranging the still picture images in accordance with the video index format data selected by said selecting means to produce a selected format; and

a video memory for storing therein data representing the selected format produced by said data processing means.

20. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a printer for printing out data of the selected format from said data processing means.

21. An image data processing apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising an external storage apparatus for recording data of the selected format from said data processing means onto a record medium.