Image input apparatus

• US 7,173,628 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kimbinh T.
• Application Number:
  US09/580,588
• Time in Patent Office: 2,443 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7
• US Class Current: 345/531
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0436 Scanning a picture-bearing surface lying face up on a support H04N2201/0434 takes precedence; using cylindrical picture bearing surfaces H04N1/06; with manual scanning H04N1/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

An image input apparatus is provided for picking up an image of an object placed on an original support with a camera and displaying the object image on a display device; the apparatus has a memory capable of storing a plurality of images picked up with the camera and a controller for controlling display of an image group containing a predetermined number of images stored in the memory.

Claims

1. An image reproducing apparatus capable of outputting an image of an object, picked up by a camera unit;

to a display device, comprising;

a storage device to store images of a plurality of objects, together with information of direction of the camera unit, wherein the direction is determined on the basis of the positional relation between the image reproducing apparatus and the camera unit, and includes a first direction and a second direction, and the object to be picked up in the first direction and the object to be picked up in the second direction are different from each other;

a reproducing device to reproduce a plurality of images picked up by the camera unit, to output the plurality of images to the display device; and

a reproducing control device to control reproduction by said reproducing device so as to reproduce a group of images picked up by the camera unit, wherein directions of the group of images are the same as one of the first direction and the second direction, among the plurality of images stored in said storage device, in accordance with the information of direction of the camera unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting device to detect a direction of the camera and generate the information of direction of the camera.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the direction of the camera, which is to be stored in the storage device together with the plurality of images, is information as to a direction where the camera is directed when the respective images to be stored in the storage device are picked up.

4. An image reproducing method of outputting an image of an object, picked up by a camera unit and stored together with information of direction of the camera unit, from an image reproducing apparatus to a display device, comprising the steps of:

storage images of a plurality of objects, together with information of direction of the camera unit in a storage device, wherein the direction is determined on the basis of the positional relation between the image reproducing apparatus and the camera unit, and includes a first direction and a second direction, and the object to be picked up in the first direction and the object to be picked up in the second direction are different from each other;

reproducing a plurality of images picked up by the camera unit in the storage device, to ouput the plurality of images to the display device; and

controlling reproduction so as to reproduce a group of images picked up by the camera unit, wherein directions of the group of images are the same as one of the first direction ad the second direction, among the plurality of images stored in the storage device, in accordance with the information of direction of the camera unit.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising a detecting step of detecting a direction of the camera and generating the information of direction of the camera.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the information of direction of the camera, which is to be stored in the storage device together with the plurality of images, is information as to a direction where the camera is directed when the respective images to be stored in the storage device are picked up.

7. A computer readable medium storing a program for executing a process of outputting an image of an object, picked up by a camera unit and stored together with information of direction of the camera unit, from an image reproducing apparatus to a display device, the program executing the processes of:

storing images of a plurality of objects, together with information of direction of the camera unit in a storage device, wherein the direction is determined on the basis of the position relation between the image reproducing apparatus and the camera unit, and includes a first direction and a second direction, and the object to be picked up in the first direction and the object to be picked up in the second direction are different from each other;

reproducing a plurality of images picked up by the camera unit in the storage device, to output the plurality of images to the display device; and

controlling reproduction so as to reproduce a group of images picked up by the camera unit, wherein directions of the group of images are the same as one of the first direction and the second direction, among the plurality of images stored in the storage device, in accordance with the information of direction of the camera unit.

8. A computer readable medium according to claim 7, further comprising a detecting process of detecting a direction of the camera and generating the information of direction of the camera.

9. A computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the information of direction of the camera which is to be stored in the storage device together with the plurality of images, is information as to a direction where the camera is directed when the respective images to be stored in the storage device are picked up.