Image display device, portable device with photography function, image display method and computer readable medium which controls the display based on an attitude angle of the display

• US 8,040,421 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suehiro, Masako
• Primary Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US12/219,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.99, 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 348/231.3, 348/333.02
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An image display device includes a display, an attitude angle detection unit and a controller. The display displays an image based on image data with photography information. The photography information includes position information and attitude angle information of a camera at a time of photography. If the attitude angle of the display is altered, the controller controls the display, based on the position information and the attitude angle information of the image displayed at the display and based on the attitude angle detected by the attitude angle detection unit, so as to display an image that was photographed within a predetermined region with respect to the position information of the image displayed at the display and that includes attitude angle information corresponding to the detected attitude angle.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

a display that displays an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

an attitude angle detection unit that detects an attitude angle of the display; and

a controller that, when the attitude angle of the display is altered while the image according to the image data is displayed, controls the display based on the position information and the attitude angle information of the image displayed at the display and based on the attitude angle detected by the attitude angle detection unit, so as to display an image previously photographed within a predetermined region with respect to the position information of the image displayed on the display and that includes attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

2. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined region is alterable.

3. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls such that an image is displayed based on image data, the image data including a date and time of photography, and the date and time of the image data being within a predetermined alterable timeframe.

4. The image display device of claim 1 wherein, if there are a plurality of images each including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle, the controller controls such that the image with the most recent photography date and time is displayed.

5. The image display device of claim 1 wherein, if there are a plurality of images each including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle, the controller controls such that the images are displayed superimposed, in order, from the foreground, of closeness of distances between the respective photography positions represented by the position information of the images corresponding to the detected attitude angle and the photography position represented by the position information of the image displayed at the display.

6. The image display device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls such that an indicator is displayed, the indicator indicating a direction in which a vicinity image is present, the vicinity image having been photographed in a vicinity of the photography position represented by the position information of the image displayed at the display.

7. The image display device of claim 6, wherein at least one of length, size and color of the indicator is altered in accordance with the magnitude of a difference between the attitude angle represented by the attitude angle information of the image displayed at the display and the attitude angle of the vicinity image, and the indicator comprises an icon that indicates the direction in which the vicinity image is present.

8. The image display device of claim 1, wherein control by the controller starts when the attitude angle of the display is altered by more than a predetermined value.

9. The image display device of claim 1, wherein control by the controller ends when a predetermined duration passes without the attitude angle of the display being altered.

10. An image display device comprising:

a display that displays an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

an attitude angle detection unit that detects an attitude angle of the display;

a position detection unit that detects a current position of the display; and

a controller that controls the display based on the attitude angle detected by the attitude angle detection unit and the current position of the display detected by the position detection unit, so as to display an image previously photographed that includes position information that corresponds to the current position and that includes attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

11. The image display device of claim 10 wherein, if there are a plurality of images each including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle, the controller controls such that the images are displayed superimposed, in order, from the foreground, of closeness of distances between the respective photography positions represented by the position information of the images corresponding to the detected attitude angle and the detected current position of the display.

12. The image display device of claim 10, wherein the controller controls such that an indicator is displayed, the indicator indicating a direction in which a vicinity image is present, the vicinity image having been photographed in a vicinity of the photography position represented by the position information of the image displayed at the display.

13. The image display device of claim 12, wherein at least one of length, size and color of the indicator is altered in accordance with the magnitude of a difference between the detected attitude angle of the display and the attitude angle of the vicinity image, and the indicator comprises an icon that indicates the direction in which the vicinity image is present.

14. An image display device comprising:

a display that displays an image previously photographed based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and bearing angle information representing a bearing angle of a camera at a time of photography;

a bearing angle detection unit that detects a bearing angle of the display;

a position detection unit that detects a current position of the display; and

a controller that controls the display, based on the position information and the bearing angle information of the image previously photographed displayed on the display, and based on the current position of the display detected by the position detection unit and the bearing angle detected by the bearing angle detection unit, so as to display an indicator that indicates the photography position of the image previously photographed displayed at the display with respect to the current position, and the bearing angle at the time of photography of the image previously photographed displayed on the display with respect to the detected bearing angle.

15. The image display device of claim 14, wherein at least one of length, size and color of the indicator is altered in accordance with the magnitude of a difference between the detected current bearing angle and the bearing angle of the image displayed at the display, and the indicator comprises an icon that indicates the bearing angle information of the image at the display at the time of photography.

16. A portable device with a photography function, comprising:

an image display device that comprises;

a display that displays an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

an attitude angle detection unit that detects an attitude angle of the display; and

a controller that, if the attitude angle of the display is altered while the image according to the image data is displayed, controls the display, based on the position information and the attitude angle information of the image displayed at the display and the attitude angle detected by the attitude angle detection unit, so as to display an image previously photographed within a predetermined region with respect to the position information of the image displayed on the display and that includes attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

17. A portable device with a photography function, comprising:

an image display device that comprises;

a display that displays an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

an attitude angle detection unit that detects an attitude angle of the display;

a position detection unit that detects a current position of the display; and

a controller that controls the display based on the attitude angle detected by the attitude angle detection unit and the current position of the display detected by the position detection unit, so as to display an image previously photographed that includes position information that corresponds to the current position and that includes attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

18. A portable device with a photography function, comprising:

an image display device that comprises;

a display that displays an image previously photographed based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and bearing angle information representing a bearing angle of a camera at a time of photography;

a bearing angle detection unit that detects a bearing angle of the display;

a position detection unit that detects a current position of the display; and

a controller that controls the display based on the position information and the bearing angle information of the image displayed on the display, and based on the current position of the display detected by the position detection unit and the bearing angle detected by the bearing angle detection unit, so as to display an indicator that indicates the photography position of the image displayed at the display, with respect to the current position, and indicates the bearing angle at the time of photography of the image displayed at the display, with respect to the detected bearing angle.

19. An image display method comprising:

displaying at a display an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

detecting an attitude angle of the display when an attitude angle of the display is altered while the image according to the image data is displayed; and

displaying, based on the position information and the attitude angle information of the image displayed at the display and based on the detected attitude angle, an image previously photographed within a predetermined region with respect to the position information of the image displayed on the display and that includes attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

20. An image display method comprising:

detecting an attitude angle of a display, the display displaying an image based on image data including photography information, and the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

detecting a current position of the display; and

displaying an image previously photographed based on the detected attitude angle and the detected current position, the image including position information that corresponds to the detected current position and including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

21. An image display method comprising:

displaying an image previously photographed based on image data including photography information at a display, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and bearing angle information representing a bearing angle of a camera at a time of photography;

detecting a bearing angle of the display;

detecting a current position of the display; and

displaying an indicator based on the position information and the bearing angle information of the image previously photographed displayed at the display, and based on the detected current position and the detected bearing angle, the indicator indicating the photography position of the image previously photographed displayed at the display with respect to the current position, and indicating the bearing angle at the time of photography of the image previously photographed displayed at the display with respect to the detected bearing angle.

22. A programmable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for displaying images, said method comprising:

displaying at a display an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera, at a time of photography;

detecting the attitude angle of the display when an attitude angle of the display is altered while the image according to the image data is displayed; and

displaying an image previously photographed based on the position information and attitude angle information of the image displayed on the display and based on the detected attitude angle, the image being photographed within a predetermined region with respect to the position information of the image displayed at the display and including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

23. A programmable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for displaying images, said method comprising:

detecting an attitude angle of a display, the display displaying an image based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and attitude angle information representing an attitude angle of a camera at a time of photography;

detecting a current position of the display; and

displaying an image previously photographed based on the detected attitude angle and the detected current position, the image previously photographed including position information that corresponds to the detected current position and including attitude angle information that corresponds to the detected attitude angle.

24. A programmable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus toperform a method for displaying images, said method comprising:

displaying at a display an image previously photographed based on image data including photography information, the photography information including position information representing a photography position and bearing angle information representing a bearing angle of a camera at a time of photography;

detecting a bearing angle of the display;

detecting a current position of the display; and

displaying an indicator based on the position information and the bearing angle information of the image previously photographed displayed at the display, and based on the detected current position and the detected bearing angle, the indicator indicating the photography position of the image previously Photographed displayed at the display with respect to the current position, and indicating the bearing angle at the time of photography of the image previously photographed displayed at the display with respect to the detected bearing angle.