Image display method, program, and image display apparatus

• US 20050001933A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Ohno, Tomoyuki, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro, Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A table is allocated indexes corresponding to display positions on a monitor screen, respectively, and data indicating an unexposed part at each of the display positions is stored in each index of the table. Focal position information is acquired from Exif header information on image data of an image, and a location of one of the indexes in the table at which no image data is registered is searched in an ascending order of the indexes. According to the table, the images are arranged so that the focal position of each image differs from the unexposed part at the display position of the image.

Claims

1. An image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring related information associated respectively with the at least two images; and

determining which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on the acquired related information.

5. An image display method according to claim 1, wherein the related information includes picture-taking information.

7. An image display method according to claim 5, wherein the picture-taking information includes information on a focal position, and

determination as to which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images is based on a magnitude of a region including the focal position.

2. An image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring related information associated respectively with the at least two images; and

determining both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on the acquired related information.

6. An image display method according to claim 2, wherein the related information includes picture-taking information.

8. An image display method according to claim 6, wherein the picture-taking information includes information on a focal position, and

determination of both of or one of the exposure amount and the exposure position is made so as to expose a region including the focal position.

9. An image display method according to claim 6, wherein the picture-taking information includes information on a photographic date of each of the images, and

when both of or one of the exposure amount and the exposure position is determined, the exposure amount is determined so that the exposure amount of the other one of the at least two images when the photographic date of one of the at least two images is equal to or near the photographic date of the other one of the at least two images is smaller than the exposure amount of the other one of the at least two images when the photographic date of the one of the at least two images is further from the photographic date of the other one of the at least two images.

10. An image display method according to claim 6, wherein the picture-taking information includes information on a photographic mode, and

determination of both of or one of the exposure amount and the exposure position is made so as to expose a region according to the photographic mode.

3. An image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

detecting face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

determining which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on magnitudes of the respective face areas.

4. An image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

detecting face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

determining both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on positions of the respective face areas.

11. A program for executing an image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring related information associated respectively with the at least two images; and

determining which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on the acquired related information.

12. A program for executing an image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring related information associated respectively with the at least two images; and

determining both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on the acquired related information.

13. A program for executing an image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

detecting face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

determining which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on magnitudes of the respective face areas.

14. A program for executing an image display method comprising a step of simultaneously displaying a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the method comprising steps of:

detecting face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

determining both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on positions of the respective face areas.

15. An image display apparatus which supplies an image signal to an image display unit so as to simultaneously display a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the apparatus comprising:

a related information acquisition unit which acquires related information associated respectively with the at least two images; and

a overlap determination unit which determines which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on the acquired related information.

16. An image display apparatus which supplies an image signal to an image display unit so as to simultaneously display a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the apparatus comprising:

a related information acquisition unit which acquires related information associated with respectively the at least two images; and

an exposure determination unit which determines both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on the acquired related information.

17. An image display apparatus which supplies an image signal to an image display unit so as to simultaneously display a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the apparatus comprising:

a face detection unit which detects face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

an overlap determination unit which determines which of the at least two images is arranged at an upper position when overlapping the at least two images based on magnitudes of the respective face areas.

18. An image display apparatus which supplies an image signal to an image display unit so as to simultaneously display a plurality of images on a screen while overlapping at least two images with each other, the apparatus comprising:

a face detection unit which detects face areas of the at least two images, respectively; and

an exposure determination unit which determines both of or one of an exposure amount and an exposure position of the other one of the at least two images, which has a hidden part and an exposed part as a result of overlapping one of the at least two images with the other image, based on positions of the respective face areas.