Image browsing apparatus and image browsing method

• US 7,669,131 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuyama, Kojiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Ting
• Application Number:
  US11/286,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20060127054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 715/727, 715/730, 707/104.1, 369/30.08, 704/500, 704/503, 381/98
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00405 Output means output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00488 providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00933 Timing control or synchronising H04N1/00928, H04N1/00931, H04N1/00954 and H04N1/0096 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

An image browsing apparatus has: a display unit for displaying image data; a reproducing unit for reproducing audio data; a detector for detecting a feature of the audio data reproduced by the reproducing unit; and a controller for, when predetermined audio data is reproduced by the reproducing unit, controlling an updating interval of the image data displayed to the display unit on the basis of the feature of the predetermined audio data detected by the detector.

Claims

1. An image browsing apparatus comprising:

a display unit for displaying image data comprising a plurality of images;

a reproducing unit reproducing audio data;

a detector for detecting a peak value of an audio level of a high band and/or low band in a sample of the audio data, wherein the sample of the audio data samples the audio data for a predetermined period of time from a beginning of the audio data; and

a controller for;

setting the peak value detected by the detector as a threshold;

determining an amount of time between an end of the sample of the audio data and a subsequent portion of the audio data at which the audio level of the high band and/or low band of the audio data exceeds the threshold;

setting the amount of time as an updating interval for the image data; and

when the audio data is reproduced by said reproducing unit, controlling an amount of time that each of the plurality of images of the image data is displayed by said display unit based on the updating interval.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector detects the peak value of the audio level of the high band and/or low band in the sample of the audio data during reproduction of the sample of the audio data by said reproducing unit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image pickup unit, and

wherein said image data comprises a photographed image photographed by said image pickup unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector detects the peak value of the audio level of the high band and/or low band in the sample of the audio data based on attribute data which is added to the audio data.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the audio data which is reproduced by said reproducing unit is changed to another audio data, said control unit changes the image data which is displayed to said display unit to another image data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio data comprises at least one song.

7. An image data browsing method of controlling an image changing interval in an image browsing apparatus comprising display means for displaying image data comprising a plurality of images and reproducing means for reproducing audio data, the method comprising:

detecting a peak value of an audio level of a high band and/or low band in a sample of the audio data, wherein the sample of the audio data samples the audio data for a predetermined period of time from a beginning of the audio data;

setting the peak value detected by the detector as a threshold;

determining an amount of time between an end of the sample of the audio data and a subsequent portion of the audio data at which the audio level of the high band and/or low band of the audio data exceeds the threshold;

setting the amount of time as an updating interval for the image data; and

when said audio data is reproduced by said reproducing means, controlling an amount of time that each image of the image data is displayed by said display means based on the updating interval.

8. An image data browsing method of controlling an image changing interval in an image browsing apparatus comprising image pickup means for photographing image data, display means for displaying the image data, and reproducing means for reproducing audio data, the method comprising:

photographing the image data by said image pickup means;

recording said photographed image data;

detecting a peak value of an audio level of a high band and/or low band in a sample of the audio data, wherein the sample of the audio data samples the audio data for a predetermined period of time from a beginning of the audio data;

setting the peak value detected by the detector as a threshold;

determining an amount of time between an end of the sample of the audio data and a subsequent portion of the audio data at which the audio level of the high band and/or low band of the audio data exceeds the threshold;

setting the amount of time as an updating interval for the image data; and

controlling the display means so that the image data photographed by said image pickup means is sequentially switched and displayed based on the updating interval.

9. An image browsing apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying image data comprising a plurality of images;

reproducing means for reproducing audio data;

detecting means for detecting a peak value of an audio level of a high band and/or low band in a sample of the audio data, wherein the sample of the audio data samples the audio data for a predetermined period of time from a beginning of the audio data; and

control means for;

setting the peak value detected by the detector as a threshold;

determining an amount of time between an end of the sample of the audio data and a subsequent portion of the audio data at which the audio level of the high band and/or low band of the audio data exceeds the threshold;

setting the amount of time as an updating interval for the image data; and

when the audio data is reproduced by said reproducing means, controlling an amount of time that each of the plurality of images of the image data is displayed by said display means based on the updating interval.