Video synchronization processing method and apparatus

• US 6,072,503 A
• Filed: 04/28/1997
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanikoshi, Koichiro, Tanifuji, Shinya, Tani, Masayuki, Yamaashi, Kimiya, Futakawa, Masayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US08/848,561
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/302, 345/328, 707/501, 358/183
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• 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

Abstract

An objective is to effectively specify a method of synchronizing a video image with computer processing. At step 1200, a frame in which a script is desired to be defined is selected and displayed on the editing region 200 of a display screen. Then, at step 1210, when an item "script" is selected from the editing menu 130, the script editor is opened. At step 1220, a desired process is described in the script editor in terms of a predetermined language. If the description has no error, it is stored (step 1230). When an item "execute" is selected from the main control menu 120, a video image is reproduced, a frame for which a process has been defined is displayed, and at the same time the defined process is executed.

Claims

1. A video compounding method for compounding an analog video image which can be read frame by frame, and a picture drawn by a computer, and for displaying a composite image on a display, said method comprising:

a frame selecting step for selecting at least one frame of said analog video image;

a frame displaying step for displaying said selected frame on a screen;

a drawing step for drawing a picture on said screen on which said frame is being displayed;

a storing step for storing said picture having been drawn by said drawing step in association with a definition of a procedure to be performed when said picture is displayed; and

a compounding and displaying step for compounding said picture, according to said definition, and said selected frame to form a composite image, and displaying said composite image in synchronism with reproduction of said selected frame when said analog vide image is reproduced.

2. A video image compounding method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a figure element selecting step for selecting at least one arbitrary figure element of a figure drawn on the screen;

a process defining step for defining a process for processing said figure element selected at said figure element selecting step; and

a process execution step for executing said defined process when said figure element constituting the displayed composite picture at said compounding and displaying step and to which an operation is defined at said process defining step is operated.

3. A video image compounding apparatus for compounding an analog video image which can be read frame by frame, and a picture drawn by a computer, and for displaying a composite image on a display, comprising:

frame selecting means for selecting at least one frame of said analog video image;

frame display means for displaying said selected frame on a screen;

drawing means for drawing a picture on said screen on which said frame is being displayed;

storing means for storing said picture having been drawn by said drawing means in association with a definition of a procedure to be performed when said picture is displayed; and

compounding and displaying means for compounding said picture, according to said definition, and said selected frame to form a composite image, and displaying said composite image in synchronism with reproduction of said selected frame when said analog video image is reproduced.

4. A video image compounding apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

figure element selecting means for selecting at least one arbitrary figure element of a figure drawn on the screen;

process defining means for defining a process for processing said figure element selected by said figure element selecting means; and

process execution means for executing the defined process when an operation is made on the figure element which constitutes the composite picture displayed on said compounding and displaying means and for which the operation has been defined by said process defining means.

5. A computer program stored on a storage medium to be executed by a computer for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of video information made up of a plurality of frames, said computer program comprising:

means for selecting one of said plurality of frames of said video information;

means for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of a frame selected by said frame selecting means during display of said video information including said frame; and

means for storing said procedure defined by said procedure defining means in association with identification information of said frame selected by said selecting means.

6. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein said means for defining defines a procedure as a script.

7. A computer program according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for displaying said frame selecting means as a still image during frame selection.

8. A computer program according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for displaying said video information; and

means for executing a procedure stored by said means for storing in synchronism with display of a frame whose identification information is stored in association with said procedure when said frame is displayed during display of said video information including said frame by said means for displaying.

9. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a first piece of image information is being displayed, a first process defined for said first piece of image information is executed after said second process has been finished.

10. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein when a first process is executed when a first piece of image information is displayed is not finished by a time when a second piece of image information is displayed, a second process defined for said second piece of image information is not executed.

11. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a preselected first piece of image information is being displayed, a first process defined for said first piece of image information is executed after said second process has been finished.

12. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a first piece of image information for which a first process has been defined is being displayed, said second process is interrupted and said first process is started.

13. A computer program according to claim 5, wherein an execution preference degree is specified when a process is defined for a selected piece of image information, and when a second piece of image information for which a second process having a higher preference degree than a first process has been defined is being displayed while said first process defined for a first piece of image information is being executed, said first process is interrupted, and said second process is executed.

14. A computer program stored on a storage medium to be executed by a computer for editing a plurality of frames included in video information using graphical figures to be overlaid on a display of said video information, said computer program comprising:

means for selecting one of said plurality of frames of video information;

means for displaying a frame selected by said means for selecting;

means for editing said frame displayed by said means for displaying using graphical figures to be overlaid on said frame displayed by said means for displaying; and

means for storing said graphical figures to be overlaid on said frame edited by said means for editing in association with identification information of said frame displayed by said means for displaying and on which said graphical figures are to be overlaid.

15. A computer program according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for retrieving said graphical figures stored by said means for storing; and

second means for displaying said video information by displaying frames that said video information is composed of one by one in sequence at predetermined intervals,

wherein said means for retrieving retrieves said graphical figures stored in association with identification information of said frames being displayed by said second means for displaying as said frames are displayed, and

wherein said second means for displaying overlays said graphical figures retrieved by said means for retrieving on a display of said frames being display.

16. A computer program according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for selecting at least one graphical figure from said graphical figures used to edit a frame by said means for editing;

means for defining a procedure for said means for selecting; and

means for storing said procedure defined by said means for defining in association with identification information of said graphical figure selected by said means for selecting.

17. A computer program according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for selecting at least one graphical figure from said graphical figures used to edit a frame by said means for editing;

means for defining a procedure for said graphical figure selected by said means for selecting;

means for storing said procedure defined by said means for defining in association with identification information of said graphical figure selected by said means for selecting; and

means for executing said stored procedure when said graphical figure whose identification information is stored in association with said procedure is displayed by said means for displaying.

18. A computer program embodied on computer-readable medium to be executed by a computer for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of video information made up of a plurality of frames, said computer program comprising:

means for selecting one of said plurality of frames of said video information;

means for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of a frame selected by said selecting means during display of said video information including said frame; and

means for storing said procedure defined by said procedure defining means in association with identification information of said frame selected by said selecting means.

19. A computer program embodied on computer-readable medium to be executed by a computer for editing a plurality of frames included in video information using graphical figures to be overlaid on a display of said video information, said computer program comprising:

means for selecting one of said plurality of frames of video information;

means for displaying a frame selected by said means for selecting;

means for editing said frame displayed by said means for displaying using graphical figures to be overlaid on said frame displayed by said means for displaying; and

means for storing said graphical figures to be overlaid on said frame edited by said means for editing in association with identification information of said frame displayed by said means for display and on which said graphical figures are to be overlaid.

20. A graphic workstation for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of video information made up of a plurality of frames, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing apparatus which selects one of said plurality of frames of said video information, defines a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of the selected frame during display of said video information, and stores in said memory said procedure defined by said processing apparatus in association with identification information of the selected frame.

21. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein said processing apparatus defines a procedure as a script.

22. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, further comprising:

a display, which in response to said processing apparatus, displays the selected frame as a still image during frame selection.

23. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, further comprising:

a display which displays said video information,

wherein said processing apparatus executes a procedure stored in said memory in synchronism with display of a frame whose identification information is stored in association with said procedure when said frame is displayed during display of said video information including said frame on said display.

24. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a first piece of image information is being displayed, a first process defined for said first piece of image information is executed after said second process has finished.

25. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein when a first process is executed when a first piece of image information is displayed is not finished by a time when a second piece of image information is displayed, a second process defined for said second piece of image information is not executed.

26. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a preselected first piece of image information is being displayed, a first process defined for said first piece of image information is executed after said second process has been finished.

27. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein when a second process defined for a second piece of image information is being executed while a first piece of image information for which a first process has been defined is being displayed, said second process is interrupted and said first process is started.

28. A graphic workstation according to claim 20, wherein an execution preference degree is specified when a process is defined for a selected piece of image information, and when a second piece of image information for which a second process having a higher preference degree than a first process is being displayed while said first process defined for a first piece of image information is being executed, said first process is interrupted, and said second process is executed.

29. A graphic workstation for editing a plurality of frames included in video information using graphical figures to be overlaid on a display of said video information, comprising:

a display which displays video information;

a memory; and

a processing apparatus which selects one of said plurality of frames of video information, displays the selected frame on said display, edits the displayed frame using graphical figures to be overlaid on the displayed said frame, and stores in said memory said graphical figures to be overlaid on the edited frame in association with identification information of said displayed frame on which said graphical figures are to be overlaid.

30. A graphic workstation according to claim 29, wherein said processing apparatus retrieves said graphical figures stored in said memory, displays said video information on said display by displaying frames that said video information is composed of one by one in sequence at predetermined intervals,

wherein said graphical figures stored in association with identification information of said frames being displayed is retrieved as said frames are displayed, and

wherein said retrieved graphical figures are overlaid on a display of said frames being display.

31. A graphic workstation according to claim 29, wherein said processing apparatus selects at least one graphical figure from said graphical figures used to edit a frame, defines a procedure for the selected graphical figure, and stores in said memory the defined procedure in association with identification information of the selected graphical figure.

32. A graphic workstation according to claim 29, wherein said processing apparatus selects at least one graphical figure from said graphical figures used to edit a frame, defines a procedure for the selected graphical figure, stores in said memory the defined procedure in association with identification information of the selected graphical figure, and executes the stored procedure when said graphical figure whose identification information is stored in association with said procedure is displayed on said display.

33. A graphic workstation for defining a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of video information made up of a plurality of frames, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing apparatus which selects one of said plurality of frames of said video information, defines a procedure to be executed in synchronism with display of the selected frame during display of said video information including the selected frame, and stores in said memory the defined procedure in association with identification information of the selected frame.

34. A graphic workstation for editing a plurality of frames included in video information using graphical figures to be overlaid on a display of said video information, comprising:

a display which displays video information;

a memory; and

a processing apparatus which selects one of said plurality of frames of video information, displays on said display the selected frame, edits the displayed frame using graphical figures to be overlaid on the displayed frame, and stores in said memory said graphical figures to be overlaid on the edited frame in association with identification information of the displayed frame and on which said graphical figures are to be overlaid.