Information-added image pickup method, image pickup apparatus and information delivery apparatus used for the method, and information-added image pickup system

• US 20040175169A1
• Filed: 01/07/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Azuma, Takeo, Ozawa, Jun, Uomori, Kenya
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/310
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• 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 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

An information-added imaging method includes an imaging step, a receiving step of an imaging device (105) receiving information through a communication line (112), an adding step of adding additional information to picture data on the basis of the information, a displaying step of displaying, in the imaging device (105), picture data to which the additional information has been added while picture data is being captured, and a recording step of recording the picture data to which the additional information has been added.

Claims

1. An information-added imaging method for adding additional information to picture data captured by an imaging device, comprising:

an imaging step of said imaging device capturing picture data;

a receiving step of said imaging device receiving information through a wireless and/or wire communication line;

an adding step of adding additional information to said picture data captured in the imaging step on the basis of said information received in the receiving step;

a displaying step of displaying, in said imaging device, picture data to which said additional information has been added in the adding step while picture data is being captured in the imaging step; and

a recording step of recording said picture data to which said additional information has been added in the adding step.

2. The information-added imaging method of claim 1,

wherein information about an event in which a plurality of event items are successively held with time is received in the receiving step.

3. The information-added imaging method of claim 2,

wherein information about an event item delivered in accordance with progress of the event is received in the receiving step, and

in the adding step, said additional information is updated every time information is received in the receiving step and updated additional information is added to said picture data.

4. The information-added imaging method of claim 2, further comprising a requesting step of said imaging device making requests for delivering information at given time intervals through a communication line,

wherein information about an event item delivered in response to a request made in the requesting step in accordance with progress of the event at time of making the request is received in the receiving step, and

in the adding step, said additional information is updated every time information is received in the receiving step and updated additional information is added to said picture data.

5. The information-added imaging method of claim 2,

wherein reservation is made for making a request for informing start of a specified event item at timing when said specified event item is to be held,

information about an event item corresponding to the content of said reservation delivered at the timing when said event item is to be held is received in the receiving step, and

when information is received in the receiving step, additional information is added to said picture data on the basis of said received information in the adding step.

6. The information-added imaging method of claim 2,

wherein a program of the event including a currently held event item and preceding and following event items is displayed in accordance with progress of the event in the displaying step.

7. The information-added imaging method of claim 2,

wherein a program of the event including currently held and following event items is displayed in accordance with progress of the event in the displaying step.

8. The information-added imaging method of claim 1,

wherein additional information having a hierarchical structure is added to said picture data in the adding step, and

picture data to which additional information of a specified layer has been added is displayed in the displaying step.

9. The information-added imaging method of claim 1,

wherein selection information for additional information stored in said imaging device is received in the-receiving step,

the information-added imaging method further comprises a selecting step of selecting additional information on the basis of said selection information received in the receiving step, and

additional information selected in the selecting step is added to said picture data in the adding step.

10. The information-added imaging method of claim 1,

wherein information about a place where picture data is captured is further added to said picture data to be recorded in the recording step, and

the information-added imaging method further comprises a map creating step of creating map data in which the place where said picture data is captured is shown on a map on the basis of said information about the place recorded in the recording step.

11. An imaging device in which additional information is added to picture data captured by an imaging part, comprising:

a display part for displaying picture data captured by said imaging part;

a recording part for recording picture data captured by said imaging part;

a communication part for sending/receiving information through a wireless and/or wire communication line; and

a control part for controlling said imaging part, said display part, said recording part and said communication part,

wherein said control part adds additional information to picture data captured by said imaging part on the basis of information received by said communication part, makes said display part display picture data to which said additional information has been added while capturing picture data with said imaging part and makes said recording part record said picture data to which said additional information has been added.

12. The imaging device of claim 11,

wherein information received by said communication part is information about an event in which a plurality of event items are successively held with time that is delivered in accordance with progress of the event, and

the control part updates additional information every time said communication part receives information and adds updated additional information to said picture data.

13. The imaging device of claim 11,

wherein information received by said communication part is information about an event in which a plurality of event items are successively held with time,

said communication part makes requests for delivering information at given time intervals, and

said control part updates additional information every time said communication part receives information delivered in response to a request made by said communication part, and adds updated additional information to said picture data.

14. The imaging device of claim 11,

wherein information received by said communication part is information about an event in which a plurality of event items are successively held with time that is delivered in accordance with reservation for requesting for informing start of a specific event item at timing when said specific event item is to be held, and

when said communication part receives information about an event item corresponding to the content of the reservation delivered at the timing when said event item is to be held, said control part adds additional information to said picture data on the basis of said received information.

15. The imaging device of claim 11, further comprising a storage part for storing additional information,

wherein said control part selects additional information stored in said storage part on the basis of information received by said communication part and adds selected additional information to said picture data.

16. The imaging device of claim 11,

wherein said control part makes said recording part record information about a place where said picture data is captured to be further added to said picture data.

17. An information delivery device for delivering information to an imaging device through a wireless and/or wire communication line for allowing additional information to be added to picture data captured by said imaging device, comprising:

an information storage part for storing information about an event in which a plurality of event items are successively held with time; and

a delivery part for delivering said information about the event stored in said information storage part to said imaging device.

18. The information delivery device of claim 17, further comprising an information selection part for selecting information stored in said information storage part in accordance with progress of the event,

wherein said delivery part delivers information selected by said information selection part.

19. The information delivery device of claim 18,

wherein said delivery part delivers information selected by said information selection part when a request for delivering information is received from said imaging device through a communication line.

20. The information delivery device of claim 17, further comprising an information selection part for selecting information stored in said information storage part in accordance with reservation made for requesting for informing start of a specific event item at timing when said specific event item is to be held,

wherein said communication part delivers information selected by said information selection part at timing when an event item corresponding to the content of the reservation is to be held.

21. The information delivery device of claim 17,

wherein said information storage part stores information to be delivered to said imaging device in a hierarchical structure.

22. An information-added imaging system for adding additional information to picture data captured by an imaging part, comprising

a delivery part for delivering information through a wireless and/or wire communication line;

a receiving part for receiving information delivered by said delivery part;

an adding part for adding additional information to picture data captured by said imaging part on the basis of said information received by said receiving part;

a display part for displaying picture data to which said additional information has been added by said adding part while picture data is being captured with said imaging part; and

a recording part for recording picture data to which said additional information has been added by said adding part.

23. The information-added imaging system of claim 22, comprising two or more delivery parts installed in positions away from one another for delivering information in accordance with the positions thereof,

wherein when said receiving part comes near to one of said delivery parts, said receiving part receives information delivered from said near delivery part.

24. The information-added imaging system of claim 22,

wherein said recording part records information about a place where picture data is captured to be further added to said picture data, and

said information-added imaging system further comprises a map creating part for creating map data in which the place where said picture data is captured is shown on a map on the basis of said information about the place recorded by said recording part.