Image recording apparatus, image reproducing apparatus and methods therefor

• US 7,110,592 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeoka, Hiroshi, Katayama, Akihiro, Kotake, Daisuke, Endo, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Tom Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/799,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 382/113, 382/154, 382/293, 382/300, 745/848, 745/849, 745/850, 745/854, 745/855
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

An image/map association division displays map data stored in a map data storing division, and sets a plurality of segment points and a “path” (route) sandwiched by two segment points on a map. The image/map association division reproduces video data stored in an image data storing division, and displays the map data stored in the map data storing division. If the route set on the map and desired frames of the video data being reproduced are designated via an operation division, association data for associating the segment points at both ends of the “route” with the designated frames is generated and it is stored in the association data storing division.

Claims

1. An image recording apparatus for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, said apparatus comprising:

a map information storing unit adapted to store map data;

an image data storing unit adapted to store image data photographed by using a plurality of photographing apparatuses and to store position measurement by GPS to the respective frames of the image data;

an association data storing unit adapted to store association data, the association data associating a frame stored in said image data storing unit with a segment point set on a map represented by the map data, and associating frames that are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points with a section defined by the two segment points;

a map display unit adapted to display a map image based on said map data and display the position measurement; and

a generating unit adapted to generate the association data,

wherein said generating unit includes;

a setting unit adapted to set the segment points by specifying desired positions on said displayed map image;

a first associating unit adapted to automatically associate a frame stored in said image data storing unit with the segment point set by said setting unit based on the position measurement;

a second associating unit adapted to associate a frame stored in said image data storing unit with the segment point based on a manual instruction; and

a section associating unit adapted to associate frames, which are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points by said first or said second associating unit, with a section defined by the two segment points.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said section associating unit divides said section by a number of grouped frames and allocates the frames to the respective divided positions.

3. An image recording method for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, the method comprising:

a map information storing step of storing map data;

an image data storing step of storing image data photographed by using a plurality of photographing apparatuses and storing position measurement by GPS to the respective frames of the image data;

an association data storing step adapted to store association data, the association data associating a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point set on a map represented by the map data, and associating frames that are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points with a section defined by the two segment points;

a map display step of controlling to display a map image based on said map data and display the position measurement; and

a generating step adapted to generate the association data;

wherein said generating step includes;

a first associating step adapted to automatically associate a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point set by a setting unit based on the position measurement;

a second associating step adapted to associate a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point based on a manual instruction; and

a section associating step adapted to associate frames, which are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points by said first or said second associating steps, with a section defined by the two segment points.

4. An image processing apparatus for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, said apparatus comprising:

a photographed image storing unit adapted to store photographed images obtained by using a plurality of photographing apparatuses that are configured for obtaining a panoramic image;

a map data storing unit adapted to store map data; and

an image-map association unit adapted to associate the photographed images with the map data based on a user'"'"'s instruction,

wherein said image-map association unit includes an operation display which has;

a map data display adapted to display the map data;

an image display adapted to display the photographed images of a plurality of frames obtained by each of the photographing apparatuses, in synchronization, and

playback control means adapted to control playing back the photographed images on said image display based on frame number according to a user'"'"'s operation.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the number of images displayed in synchronization by the image display can be designated by a user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the photographed images of the plurality of frames are a plurality of successive photographed images.

7. An image processing method for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, said method comprising:

a providing step of providing an operation display which includes (i) a map display displaying map data obtained from a map data storage unit storing map data, (ii) an image display displaying photographed images obtained from a photograph image storage unit storing images photographed by a plurality of photographing apparatuses that are configured for obtaining a panoramic image, the photographed images being a plurality of frames obtained by each of the photography apparatuses, in synchronization, and playback control means adapted to control playing back the photographed images on the image display based on a frame number according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

an image-map association step of associating the map data and the photographed images based on a user'"'"'s instruction made through the operation display.

8. A computer readable medium storing a control program for making a computer perform an image recording method for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, the method comprising:

a map information storing step of storing map data;

an image data storing step of storing image data photographed by using a plurality of photographing apparatuses and storing position measurement by GPS to the respective frames of the image data;

an association data storing step adapted to store association data, the association data associating a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point set on a map represented by the map data, and associating frames that are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points with a section defined by the two segment points;

a map display step of controlling to display a map image based on said map data and display the position measurement; and

a generating step adapted to generate the association data;

wherein said generating unit includes;

a first associating step adapted to automatically associate a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point set by a setting unit based on the position measurement;

a second associating step adapted to associate a frame stored in said image data storing step with a segment point based on a manual instruction; and

a section associating step adapted to associate frames, which are between two frames respectively associated with two segment points by said first or said second associating steps, with a section defined by the two segment points.

9. A computer readable medium storing a control program for making a computer perform an image processing method for constructing a virtual space capable of walkthrough using photographed image data, the method comprising:

a providing step of providing an operation display which includes (i) a map display displaying map data obtained from a map data storage unit storing map data, (ii) an image display displaying photographed images obtained from a photograph image storage unit storing images photographed by a plurality of photographing apparatuses that are configured for obtaining a panoramic image, the photographed images being a plurality of frames obtained by each of the photography apparatuses, in synchronization, and playback control means adapted to control playing back the photographed images on the image display based on a frame number according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

an image-map association step of associating the map data and the photographed images based on a user'"'"'s instruction made through the operation display.