IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING A DESIGNATED PROCESS ON IMAGES

• US 20100083117A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Kosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,397,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

With a map displayed on a displaying apparatus 6, a user touches a touch panel 16 with his or her finger to draw an operation trajectory passing through his or her desired area on the map. A user'"'"'s designated area is specified based on the operation trajectory. Images shot in the designated area are automatically selected to be displayed and the order of displaying the images is set in accordance with a drawing operation of the operation trajectory such that the image shot at a shooting spot closest to the start point of the operation trajectory is displayed first and the image shot at a shooting spot closest to the end point of the operation trajectory is displayed last. The image selecting operation and the image displaying order setting operation can be easily performed at the same time.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus with a function of performing a predetermined process on images, shooting locations of which can be specified, the apparatus comprising:

a map displaying unit having a display screen, for displaying a map on the display screen;

an area specifying unit for allowing a user to perform a drawing operation to draw an operation trajectory on the map displayed on the display screen of the map displaying unit and for specifying a designated area based on the operation trajectory drawn on the display screen by the user;

a target image setting unit for setting plural images shot within the designated area specified by the area specifying unit as target images to be subjected to a predetermined process; and

a process order setting unit for setting an order of processing the target images set by the target image setting unit in accordance with the drawing operation that is performed by the user to draw the operation trajectory on the display screen of the map displaying unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation trajectory, based on which the designated area is specified by the area specifying unit is the same as the operation trajectory, in accordance with which the process order setting unit sets the order of processing the target images.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a target list recording unit for producing, and recording a target list indicating the plural target images set by the target image setting unit and the order of processing the target images set by the process order setting unit; and

a process controlling unit for performing the predetermined process on the plural target images indicated by the target list recorded in the target list recording unit in the order of processing the target images indicated by the target list recorded in the target list recording unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the process controlling unit displays the plural target images indicated by the target list in the order of processing the target images indicated by the target list.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the process controlling unit deletes the plural target images indicated by the target list in the order of processing the target images indicated by the target list.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a trace line display controlling unit for displaying a trace line indicating the operation trajectory on the map displayed on the display screen of the map displaying unit in an overlapping manner.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the area specifying unit specifies the designated area based on the operation trajectory drawn in response to one drawing operation continuously performed by the user;

and

the target list recording unit produces and records one target list with respect to one operation trajectory.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the target image setting unit sets, as target images to be processed, plural images shot within plural designated areas separately specified based on plural operation trajectories drawn on the map by the area specifying unit;

and

the process order setting unit sorts the target images according to the designated areas into different target lists and sets the order of processing the target lists in accordance with the order of the plural operation trajectories drawn on the display screen.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a first judging unit for judging whether the operation trajectory composes an open line or a closed line,

wherein the area specifying unit specifies as the designated area an area where the operation trajectory passes through, when the first judging unit determines that the operation trajectory composes an open line, and specifies as the designated area an area surrounded by the operation trajectory, when the first judging unit determines that the operation trajectory composes a closed line.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when the first judging unit determines that the operation trajectory composes an open line, the area specifying unit specifies the designated area based on the open line, and the process order setting unit sets the order of processing the target images shot within said designated area in accordance with the drawing operation of the open line, and when the first judging unit determines that the operation trajectory composes a closed line, the area specifying unit specifies the designated area based on the closed line, and the process order setting unit sets the order of processing the target images shot within said designated area in accordance with information other than the drawing operation of the closed line.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area specifying unit specifies an area on the map where the operation trajectory passes through as the designated area.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the area specifying unit specifies as the designated area an area on the map which the operation trajectory passes through and falls within a range defined by a predetermined distance from the operation trajectory.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the trace line display controlling unit displays the trace line with a line weight corresponding to the predetermined distance on the map displayed on the map displaying unit in an overlapping manner.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the process controlling unit separates the display screen of the map displaying unit into a map display area and an image display area, and displays the map in the map display area and a list of target images to be processed in the image display area in the order of processing images.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a contact type drawing operation unit for allowing the user to perform the drawing operation to draw the operation trajectory on the map displayed on the display screen of the map displaying unit,

wherein the drawing operation unit has a function of detecting pen pressure applied on the display screen when the user performs the drawing operation, and

the area specifying unit specifies as the designated area an area on the map which the operation trajectory passes through and falls within a range defined by a predetermined distance from the operation trajectory, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to pen pressure detected by the drawing operation unit.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a second judging unit for judging whether or not the operation trajectory has a predetermined trace shape,

wherein the process controlling unit starts deleting the plural target images indicated by the target list in the order of processing the target images indicated by the target list, when the second judging unit determines that the operation trajectory has a predetermined trace shape.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an image pick-up unit for shooting an object to obtain an image;

a position information obtaining unit for obtaining position information indicating a shooting spot where the image pick-up unit shot the object; and

an image recording unit for recording the image obtained by the image pick-up unit in association with the position information obtained by the position information obtaining unit,

wherein the target image setting unit sets based on the position information associated with the images and recorded in the image recording unit, said images shot within the designated area specified by the area specifying unit as the target images to be subjected to the predetermined process.

18. A process order setting method in an image processing apparatus with a function of performing a predetermined process on images, shooting locations of which can be specified, and a function of displaying data on a display screen, the method comprising:

displaying a map on the display screen;

specifying a designated area based on an operation trajectory drawn on the map on the display screen in response to a drawing operation performed by a user;

setting plural images shot within the specified designated area as target images to be subjected to a predetermined process; and

setting an order of processing the target images in accordance with the drawing operation that is performed by the user to draw the operation trajectory on the display screen.

19. A computer readable recording medium mounted on an image processing apparatus provided with a built-in computer, the image processing apparatus further having a function of performing a predetermined process on images, shooting locations of which images can be specified, and a function of displaying data on a display screen, the computer readable recording medium storing a computer program when executed to make the built-in computer execute the steps comprising:

displaying a map on the display screen;

specifying a designated area based on an operation trajectory drawn on the map on the display screen in response to a drawing operation performed by a user;

setting plural images shot within the specified designated area as target images to be subjected to a predetermined process; and

setting an order of processing the target images in accordance with the drawing operation that is performed by the user to draw the operation trajectory on the display screen.