Method and apparatus for recording image information

• US 6,657,666 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Hiroaki, Imagawa, Seiji, Nakagawa, Isao, Higuchi, Shigemitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Toppin, Catherine J.
• Application Number:
  US09/332,446
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.12, 348/348, 348/231.3, 348/231.6, 348/116
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is to improve an operability of an image information recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus.

A shot place extraction means 6 is established so that the means 6 can extract a shot place proposed by referring a map information 5 corresponding to a shot position on the map, and furthermore a shot object extraction means 7 is establishes to that the means 7 can extract a shot object proposed by referring the map information 5 corresponding to the shot object on the map based on the shot position, a distance between the shot position and the shot object, and a direction from the shot position to the shot object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recording image information comprising:

(a) position detection means for detecting a shot position of said image information recording apparatus;

(b) reading means for reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) shot place extraction means for extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) distance detection means for detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) direction detection means for detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) shot object extraction means for extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance, and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects;

(g) recording means for recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image; and

displaying means for displaying one of said proposed shot places with a highest priority extracted by said shot place extraction means and one of said proposed shot objects with a highest priority from said shot object extraction means is included; and

selecting means for selecting at least one of said displayed proposed shot place and said displayed proposed shot object.

2. An apparatus for recording image information comprising:

(a) position detection means for detecting a shot position of said image information recording apparatus;

(b) reading means for reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) shot place extraction means for extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) distance detection means for detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) direction detection means for detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) shot object extraction means for extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance, and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects; and

(g) recording means for recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image,

wherein said shot place extraction means sets up a fixed area around said shot position on said map, extracts said proposed shot place corresponding to at least one of objects, places and areas which may correspond to said shot place within said fixed area, and then sets up said priority based on a distance from a center of said fixed area.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said fixed area is extended to extract a proper shot object with repetition if there is no proposed shot object in said area.

3. An apparatus for recording image information comprising:

(a) position detection means for detecting a shot position of said image information recording apparatus;

(b) reading means for reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) shot place extraction means for extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) distance detection means for detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) direction detection means for detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) shot object extraction means for extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance, and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then for extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects; and

(g) recording means for recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image;

wherein said shot object extraction means sets up a fixed area around said shot object on said map, extracts said proposed shot object corresponding to at least one of objects, places and areas which may correspond to said shot object within said fixed area, and then sets up said priority based on a distance from a center of said fixed area.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said fixed area is set up by extending said fixed area to be a wider area in said shot direction from said center than in a perpendicular direction to said shot direction.

6. A method for recording image information, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a shot position on which a person shoots said image information by standing;

(b) reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects; and

(g) recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image;

wherein one of said proposed shot places and one of said proposed shot objects respectively with a highest priority are displayed, and

selecting at least one of said displayed proposed shot place and said displayed proposed shot object.

7. A method for recording image information, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a shot position on which a person shoots said image information by standing;

(b) reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects; and

(g) recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image;

wherein a fixed area around said shot object on said map is set up, said proposed shot object corresponding to at least one of objects, places and areas which may correspond to said shot object within said fixed area is extracted, and then said priority is set up based on a distance from a center of said fixed area.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said fixed area is extended to extract a proper shot object with repetition if there is no proposed shot object in said area.

8. A method for recording image information, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a shot position on which a person shoots said image information by standing;

(b) reading out an information of a map from a memory medium;

(c) extracting a shot place proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot position on said map, and if two or more proposed shot places exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot places;

(d) detecting a distance between said shot position and a shot object;

(e) detecting a direction from said shot position to said shot object;

(f) extracting a shot object proposed by referring said map information corresponding to said shot object on said map based on said detected shot position, said detected distance and said detected direction, and if two or more proposed shot objects exist, then extracting with a higher order of priority according to a degree of exactness of said proposed shot objects; and

(g) recording at least one of said extracted proposed shot places and at least one of said extracted proposed shot objects in compliance with a shot image,

wherein a fixed area around shot object on said map is set up, said proposed shot object corresponding to at least one of objects, places and areas which may correspond to said shot object within said fixed area is extracted, and then said priority is set up based on a distance from a center of said fixed area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said fixed area is set up by extending said fixed area to be a wider area in said shot direction from said center than in a perpendicular direction to said shot direction.