Image material providing method, image material providing system and program

Abstract

To achieve a service that clips and provides a partial image instructed by a real estate company from images with a wide angle of view captured as moving images while moving.SOLUTION: An image material providing method performed by a system that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses a service, includes: a process of causing the terminal to display, as a preview image, part of second image data captured as a moving image while moving within a room of and / or around a target property with a second angle of view wider than the first angle of view; and a process of providing a partial image designated by the terminal, of the displayed preview image as the first image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image material providing method, an image material providing system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Images of the exterior and interior of properties being sold on the real estate market can be viewed on the websites of the real estate companies that handle the properties. Currently, the websites contain images taken by staff of the real estate company who went to the site and took pictures individually, as well as images provided by the seller or lessor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-143119 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The method of posting images provided by sellers and landlords on a website can reduce the time and effort required for staff to visit the site, but since multiple real estate companies post the same photos, it is not possible to differentiate the images posted. Therefore, images posted on a website are not a decisive factor in attracting potential customers to the company. On the other hand, the method of having real estate company staff take pictures on site allows them to post images taken from attractive angles that make use of the know-how of each real estate company on a website, but it involves a large burden of time and cost required for them to travel to the site.

[0005] The present invention aims to realize a service in which partial images designated by a real estate company are cut out from images with a wide angle of view captured as moving images while moving and provided. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is an image material providing method executed by a system that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company using a service, the method including a process of displaying a part of second image data captured as a moving image while moving around the room and / or the periphery of a target property with a second angle of view wider than the first angle of view on the terminal as a preview image, and a process of providing a partial image of the displayed preview image specified by the terminal as the first image data. when an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, selectively extracting from the second image data image data of buildings lined up on the same side of the street from the front, stitching together the extracted image data in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and displaying the generated panoramic image on the terminal as the preview image. A method for providing image material. Claim 2 The invention described in claim 2 further includes a process for providing the terminal with the first image data including a specific building selected from the panoramic image. 1 This is a method for providing an image material according to the present invention. Claim 3 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the second image data is omnidirectional image data. or 2 This is a method for providing an image material according to the present invention. Claim 4 The invention described in is an image material providing system that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses a service, and includes a storage that stores second image data captured as a moving image while moving around the room and / or the periphery of a target property with a second angle of view that is wider than the first angle of view, a preview processing unit that displays a part of the second image data as a preview image on the terminal, and a providing unit that provides a partial image of the second image data specified by the terminal as the first image data. when an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, selectively extracting from the second image data image data of buildings lined up on the same side of the street from the front, stitching together the extracted image data in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and displaying the generated panoramic image on the terminal as the preview image. It is an image material providing system. Claim 5The invention described in the above provides a function to a computer that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses the service, the function being to cause the computer to display, as a preview image, a portion of second image data captured as a moving image while moving around the room and / or the periphery of a target property with a second angle of view that is wider than the first angle of view, on the terminal, and a function being to provide, as the first image data, a partial image of the displayed preview image that is specified by the terminal. a function of selectively extracting, when an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, image data of buildings lined up on the same side of the street captured from the front from the second image data, stitching together the extracted image data in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and displaying the generated panoramic image on the terminal as the preview image; This is a program to achieve this. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a service in which partial images designated by a real estate company are cut out from images with a wide angle of view captured as moving images while moving and are provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system for supporting the creation of a homepage that introduces real estate. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of recording an imaging position. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining a video file used in embodiment 1. (A) shows an example of the data structure of a video file, and (B) shows an example of recording time, latitude, and longitude. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing operation executed when a moving image file is uploaded to an image material providing system in the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image material providing server used in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image material providing server used in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the angle of view of a spherical image and a preview image. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing operation executed by cooperation between an image material providing system and a computer. [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen from selecting an object to downloading a clip image. (A) is an example of a screen used to select an object, (B) shows an example of a screen used to present a list of image materials related to the selected object and a preview image, and (C) is an example of a screen used to select a clip image to download. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation for changing the orientation and size of a partial image displayed as a preview image. [Figure 11] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating another example of an operation for changing the orientation or size of a partial image displayed as a preview image. [Figure 12] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of an orientation adjustment that can be displayed as a preview image and an image that is recorded as a clip image. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another example of an orientation adjustment that can be displayed as a preview image and an image recorded as a clip image. [Figure 14] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating other examples of screens for specifying an image material to be displayed as a preview image using information about a travel route, where (A) is an example of a screen showing a map of the route used to capture the image material, and (B) is an example of a screen showing a display example of a preview image cut out from a celestial sphere image of a point specified on the travel route. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image material providing server used in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of panoramic image generation, in which (A) is an image of a shopping street for which generation of a panoramic image is specified, and (B) is an example of a panoramic image generated from image material corresponding to the shopping street. [Figure 17] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of using a panoramic image, in which (A) shows an example of a panoramic image displayed as a preview image, and (B) shows an example of a preview image generated from a celestial sphere image capturing a building specified in the panoramic image from the front. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 1 for supporting the creation of a homepage introducing real estate (hereinafter referred to as a "homepage creation support system"). The basic components of the website production support system 1 shown in Figure 1 are a camera 10 that captures moving images while moving around the interior of the real estate (i.e., the property) that is the subject of the transaction and the surrounding townscape, an image material providing system 20 operated by a business that provides, as a service, partial images specified by real estate companies and the like from the moving images captured by camera 10, a computer 30 installed at the real estate company or the like that uses the service, and a communications network 40 that connects these together.

[0011] Here, a real estate company refers to a business that acts as an agent or intermediary in the buying, selling, renting, etc. of properties, regardless of the size of the business. In Fig. 1, one computer 30 is installed in each of real estate companies A, B, and C, but each may be installed with multiple computers 30. The camera 10 used in this embodiment is used not only for capturing images of the interior of a property, but also for capturing images of the exterior of the property and the surrounding streetscape. Moreover, the camera 10 used in this embodiment is a so-called 360° camera, and is capable of capturing a spherical image. A spherical image is an image captured in all directions with the camera 10 at the center.

[0012] In the present embodiment, a celestial sphere image captured as a moving image while moving is referred to as an “image material”, and the image data is referred to as “celestial sphere image data”. In other words, the image material is provided as a sequence of celestial sphere images captured continuously. The camera 10 assumed in this embodiment supports both a mode for capturing still images and a mode for capturing moving images. However, as described above, the mode for capturing moving images is used for capturing images of image materials. Examples of recording formats for moving images include the MP4 format and the MOV format. The camera 10 may be attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle or vehicle that runs on wheels, or may be attached to a drone that can fly in the air. Also, the camera 10 may be held in the hand to capture images.

[0013] Camera 10 is equipped with a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and an indoor positioning system, and records the imaging position of camera 10 while capturing moving images. The imaging positions are recorded not only for the point where imaging starts, but also for at least a plurality of points on the route. In the case of this embodiment, the imaging positions are recorded for all frames. When a GPS receiver is used as the positioning system, the latitude and longitude along the route of travel are identified and recorded. In addition, when an indoor positioning system is used as the positioning system, the position within the floor plan of the property is recorded. For example, an indoor positioning system that uses BLE (=Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons is one example of the indoor positioning system.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of recording of image capture positions. In Fig. 2, the path of movement of the image material when capturing images is indicated by arrows on the floor plan of the property. In this case, the image material is captured and recorded along the path from the back of the L-shaped living room to the kitchen door. In the present embodiment, each point on the moving route is recorded as an image capturing position. Therefore, when an image frame is specified, a corresponding point on the moving route is identified. Conversely, when a point on the moving route is specified, a corresponding celestial sphere image is identified. Of course, the same applies to outdoor image capturing. However, in the outdoor case, the moving route is mapped on a map.

[0015] The image capture position may be recorded as metadata for each image frame, may be recorded as intra-frame metadata, or may be recorded as independent data linked to the image frame. When the imaging position is recorded as independent data linked to the image frame, the imaging position is linked to each image frame using information such as the time of imaging or the elapsed time from the start of imaging. This linking is performed by the image material providing system 20.

[0016] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1. Image material captured by the camera 10 is provided to and stored in an image material providing system 20 via a communication network 40 or a portable memory 50. The communication network 40 may be, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication system known as 4G or 5G, a wireless LAN (=Local Area Network), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0017] The image material providing system 20 used in this embodiment includes an image material database 21 that accumulates spherical image data, including metadata such as an image capture date and time, an image capture location, a property name, and a room number, as an image material, and an image material providing server 22 that cuts out a part of an image material and provides it in cooperation with a computer 30. 1 is connected to the communication network 40, it may be built into or attached externally to the image material providing server 22. The image material database 21 here is an example of storage, and the image material is an example of second image data.

[0018] The image material providing server 22 has a function of searching the image material database 21 based on search conditions specified by the computer 30, a function of generating a preview image from the image material, a function of providing a partial image of the preview image for which recording has been instructed as a clip image, etc. The clip image here is an example of the first image data. In the case of this embodiment, the search conditions include, for example, the property name, the room number, the time period during which the image was captured, and the name of the nearest building or facility. In this embodiment, the preview image and the clip image refer to partial images cut out from the image material with an aspect ratio of 2:3, 3:4, or the like. The preview image cannot be recorded on the computer 30, but the clip image can be recorded on the computer 30. In general, the preview image is distributed by streaming.

[0019] The computer 30 is an example of a terminal installed in a real estate company. Although a notebook computer 30 is depicted in Fig. 1, the computer 30 may be a desktop computer, a tablet computer, or a smartphone. In the future, the computer 30 may be smart glasses or AR (Augmented Reality) glasses. 1 also shows a mouse 31 used to operate the computer 30. The mouse 31 is used not only to move the portion to be cut out as a preview image, but also to give instructions to zoom in and out.

[0020] <Video file data structure> 3 is a diagram for explaining a video file used in embodiment 1. (A) shows an example of the data structure of a video file, and (B) shows an example of recording time, latitude, and longitude. A video file is made up of video data, which is the main body of the data, and metadata. In this embodiment, the metadata items include "shooting date and time", "type of video", "type of shooting location", "shooting location data", "time, latitude, longitude", and the like. Basically, metadata is automatically recorded by the camera 10 (see FIG. 1), although for some items, the user who captures the image material may instruct the contents to be recorded.

[0021] In the "video type", for example, a 360° image or a 180° image is recorded. Here, a 360° image means a so-called omnidirectional image. Also, a 180° image means a so-called semi-spherical image. Needless to say, there are various ways to express the type, and the example shown in FIG. 3(A) is just one example.

[0022] In the "shooting location type", for example, a route video, a street video, or a point video is recorded. The route video and street video are moving images captured during travel along roads or paths, in other words, route images and street images are moving images in which the latitude and longitude change. On the other hand, a point video is a video image captured of a building or an interior of a building, ie, a video image in which the latitude and longitude recorded as metadata do not change.

[0023] The "time, latitude, longitude" is recorded for each frame constituting the video image data or for each predetermined time. In the example of Fig. 3B, a set of "time, latitude, longitude" is recorded at one second intervals. However, one second is just an example, and a set of "time, latitude, longitude" may be recorded at intervals of several seconds or at intervals less than one second. Note that if the interval is 1 second, the latitude and longitude do not change.

[0024] <Uploading video files> FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing operation executed when a moving image file is uploaded to the image material providing system 20 in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing operation executed when a moving image file is uploaded to the image material providing system 20. In FIG.

[0025] In the case of Figure 4, the video file registration server 23 performs the process of mapping the uploaded video file onto roads on the map data, the process of generating route data indicating the roads identified by the mapping, and the process of registering the route data and the video file as a set in the image material database 21.

[0026] In FIG. 4, a video file registration server 23 dedicated to registering video files to be uploaded is provided, but it may also be realized as part of the functions of the image material providing server 22. The video image file registration server 23 here is basically configured as a computer, and executes a metadata analysis processing program. The metadata analysis processing program here has a function of analyzing the metadata of uploaded video files and extracting information on latitude and longitude for each image capture time.

[0027] The metadata analysis processing program also has the function of mapping the extracted latitude and longitude to the nearest road on a map of the corresponding area, and generating route data by linking the mapped routes. In Fig. 4, two pieces of route data A and B are drawn on a road. Route data A corresponds to video file A, and route data B corresponds to video file B. Video files A and B are examples of route videos or street videos.

[0028] In the case of a video file C (that is, a point video) that captures the interior of a building or room, the latitude and longitude do not change, so the route data C is marked at one point on the map. In this embodiment, the route data C in which a point on a map is marked is also treated as an example of route data. As a result, the moving image file and the route data are registered as a set in the image material database 21.

[0029] <Configuration of the image material providing server> 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image material providing server 22 used in the embodiment 1. The image material providing server 22 in this embodiment is composed of a data processing unit 220, a hard disk drive (i.e., HDD) 221, and a communication module 222. As shown in FIG. 5, the data processing unit 220 is composed of a CPU 220A, a ROM (=Read Only Memory) 220B, and a RAM (=Random Access Memory) 220C.

[0030] The CPU 220A is a processor that realizes various functions through the execution of programs. The ROM 220B is a semiconductor memory that stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like. The RAM 220C is a semiconductor memory used as a main storage device and is used as a work space for programs. The hard disk drive 221 is an auxiliary storage device, and stores programs and image materials read from the image material database 21 (see FIG. 1). The communication module 222 adheres to a protocol used for communicating with the communication network 40 .

[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the image material providing server 22 used in the first embodiment. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 6 is realized through the execution of a program by the CPU 220A (see FIG. 5).

[0032] The image material providing server 22 functions as a preview processing unit 220D that reads out image material selected by instructions from a computer 30 provided at the real estate company, generates a preview image, and displays it on the display of the computer 30, and as a clip providing unit 220E that provides, as a clip image, a partial image of the preview image that has been instructed to be recorded. The preview image in this embodiment is a partial image that is cut out from the image material in response to an instruction from computer 30.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the angle of view of a spherical image and a preview image. 7 shows a spherical image corresponding to an image frame constituting an image material. The sphere in the balloon shows the angle of view of the spherical image. The angle of view used to capture the spherical image is an example of the second angle of view. On the other hand, a preview image refers to a partial image cut out from a spherical image with an aspect ratio of 2:3, 3:4, etc. The angle of view corresponding to the preview image is an example of a first angle of view.

[0034] The orientation and size of the preview image to be cut out can be changed by instructions from computer 30 (see FIG. 1). For example, the orientation can be changed to the horizontal or vertical direction while keeping the size the same. Note that zooming in reduces the size of the cut out portion, and zooming out increases the size of the cut out portion. As shown in FIG. 7, the clip image in this embodiment refers to a partial image of a preview image for which recording has been instructed. The clip image here is an example of the first image data. Incidentally, the image material is an example of the second image data. In the case of FIG. 7, the image capturing position is recorded in every frame of the image material.

[0035] Returning to the explanation of Figure 6. The clip providing section 220E records, as a clip image, a partial image for which recording has been instructed, out of the preview image being displayed on the computer 30, and provides the clip image to the computer 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the clip image may be a still image or a moving image.

[0036] <Processing Operation> 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a processing operation executed by cooperation between the image material providing system 20 and the computer 30. In FIG. 8, the symbol S is used to mean a step. In the case of FIG. 8, the image material has already been stored in the image material database 21 (see FIG. 1).

[0037] First, the computer 30 installed in the real estate agency notifies the image material providing system 20 of the selection of a property to be confirmed (step 1). On the other hand, the image material providing system 20 presents a list of image materials of the selected object to the computer 30 which is the notification source (step 2). Next, the computer 30 notifies the image material providing system 20 of the selection of an image to be confirmed as a preview image from among the displayed image materials (step 3). On the other hand, the image material providing system 20 presents a preview image of the selected image material to the computer 30 which has notified the user (step 4).

[0038] Thereafter, the staff member operating the computer 30 performs the task of searching for a preferred orientation and size while checking the contents of the preview image. The computer 30 that has received this instruction from the user notifies the image material providing system 20 of the instruction such as the direction to be displayed as a preview image (step 5). On the other hand, the image material providing system 20 presents the partial image cut out in response to the instruction as a preview image to the computer 30 which is the source of the notification (step 6).

[0039] Thereafter, the staff member operating the computer 30 repeats the adjustments to determine the desired orientation and size of the desired playback time (or point on the travel route). When the determined partial image is to be saved as a clip image, the staff member operating the computer 30 operates the record button. That is, the computer 30 instructs the image material providing system 20 to record a part of the preview image (step 7). On the other hand, the image material providing system 20 records the specified partial image as a clip image (step 8). The processes of steps 1 to 8 are repeatedly executed.

[0040] Thereafter, the computer 30 notifies the image material providing system 20 of the selection of the clip image to be downloaded (step 9). On the other hand, the image material providing system 20 transmits the notified clipped image to the computer 30 which is the source of the notification (step 10). The computer 30 that receives the clipped image stores the clipped image (step 11). The processing operation described with reference to FIG. 8 is an example of an image material providing method.

[0041] <Operation screen> The operation screens displayed on the display of the computer 30 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen from selecting an object to downloading a clip image. (A) is an example of a screen used to select an object, (B) shows an example of a screen used to present a list of image materials related to the selected object and a preview image, and (C) is an example of a screen used to select a clip image to download.

[0042] A screen 301 shown in FIG. 9(A) is used in step 1 (see FIG. 8). In the case of screen 301, a property name and an icon image of the corresponding property are displayed as a set. For example, by moving mouse cursor 311 onto a desired icon image or property name and right-clicking mouse 31 (see FIG. 1), the selection of the property is confirmed. Note that before screen 301 is displayed, an operation for searching for property candidates has been performed. For example, a search using keywords or the like is performed.

[0043] The screen 302 shown in FIG. 9(B) is used in steps 2 to 8 (see FIG. 8). On the left side of the screen 302, a list of a plurality of image materials related to the selected property is displayed, with the representative frame and file name of each image material. The representative frame may be, for example, the first frame or a frame designated by the service provider. In the case of Fig. 9(B), the representative frame, file name, etc. are also used as selection buttons.

[0044] On the right side of the screen 302, there are arranged a preview image display area 312 used to check an image material selected with a mouse cursor 311, a timeline 313, and operation buttons 314 used to instruct playback and recording. A preview image cut out from the image material at the time point where the cursor on the timeline 313 is located is displayed in a display field 312. In Fig. 9(B) the cursor is represented by a triangular mark.

[0045] In the present embodiment, a reference orientation is defined for the spherical image, and the initial image of the preview image is cropped so that the reference orientation is at the center. The size of the preview image in the initial image is also fixed. However, after a change in orientation or size is accepted, the last accepted orientation and size are maintained until the next instruction is accepted. As will be described later, the orientation and size of the preview image can be changed by operating the mouse 31 (see FIG. 1).

[0046] The operation buttons 314 are buttons for instructing playback and recording of preview images. In the case of FIG. 9B, from the left, there are buttons for cueing to the previous chapter, rewinding, playing, pausing, fast forwarding, cueing to the next chapter, and recording. In this embodiment, the preview image displayed in the display field 312 during the period from when recording is started to when recording is stopped is saved as a clip image in the hard disk drive 221 (see FIG. 5). A save destination is prepared for each real estate company viewing the preview image and each computer 30 (see FIG. 1) used for editing. The clipped image can be cut out either as a moving image or as a still image.

[0047] The screen 303 shown in Fig. 9(C) is used in step 9 (see Fig. 8). The screen 303 is used to select a clip image to be downloaded. On the left side of the screen 303, a list of clip images recorded by the staff operating the computer 30 is displayed by the representative frame and file name of each clip image. The representative frame and file name are also used as selection buttons. On the right side of the screen 303, the representative frame, file name, etc. of the clip image selected for downloading are displayed.

[0048] On screen 303, "Clip 1" selected with mouse cursor 311 has been moved from the left column to the right column by drag and drop. When the download button 315 at the bottom right is operated, the selection of the clip image to be downloaded is confirmed and the download is executed.

[0049] Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation for changing the orientation and size of a partial image displayed as a preview image. In Fig. 10, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The mouse 31 is used to change the orientation of the preview image cut out from the omnidirectional image. For example, when the mouse 31 is moved to the right, the view cut out from the omnidirectional image as the preview image rotates to the right. Conversely, when the mouse 31 is moved to the left, the view cut out from the omnidirectional image as the preview image rotates to the left.

[0050] When the mouse 31 is moved forward, the elevation angle that determines the direction in which the preview image is cut out from the omnidirectional image increases. Specifically, the view displayed in the display field 312 changes in the direction in which the line of sight is raised. In FIG. 10, this change is indicated as an upward turn. On the other hand, when the mouse 31 is moved backward, the depression angle that determines the direction in which the preview image is cut out from the omnidirectional image increases. Specifically, the scenery displayed in the display field 312 changes in the direction in which the line of sight is lowered. In FIG. 10, this change is indicated as a downward turn. In this manner, in the case of this embodiment, the staff of the real estate company can move the mouse 31 to observe a preview image of any direction at any point on the travel route.

[0051] Furthermore, when the wheel of the mouse 31 is rotated forward, the scenery displayed in the display field 312 changes so as to zoom in. Specifically, the subject in the preview image is displayed larger. On the other hand, when the wheel of the mouse 31 is rotated backward, the scenery displayed in the display field 312 changes so as to zoom out. Specifically, the subject in the preview image is displayed smaller.

[0052] 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of an operation for changing the orientation and size of a partial image displayed as a preview image. In FIG. 11, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the case of FIG. 11, the preview image to be displayed in the display field 312 is specified not by the timeline 313 (see FIG. 9) but by the position of a slider 316 on the travel route mapped onto the floor plan of the property located on the left side of the screen 302. In the case of FIG. 11, it becomes possible to pinpoint the image capturing point after checking on the screen the movement path of the camera 10 (see FIG. 1) when recording the image material.

[0053] This designation is possible because the imaging position is recorded in each image frame that constitutes the image material. In addition, the moving speed of the camera 10 when capturing an image of an image material is not necessarily constant. For example, outdoors, the camera may stop at a red light, or the moving speed may change depending on other pedestrians. Even indoors, the moving speed may decrease to avoid an obstacle such as a desk. Even if the moving speed when capturing an image is not constant in this way, the screen 302 shown in FIG. 11 makes it easy to specify the point to be displayed as a preview image. The mouse 31 is used to change the orientation and size of the partial image cut out as the preview image.

[0054] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of an adjustment of a direction that can be displayed as a preview image and an image that is recorded as a clip image. The image material shown in FIG. 12 is assumed to be spherical image data obtained by moving from the door of a room to the back of the room.

[0055] The vertical direction in FIG. 12 corresponds to points on the travel route. For example, the three images at the top represent partial images cut out as preview images from a spherical image captured near the door of a room. The three images in the middle row represent partial images cut out as preview images from a spherical image captured near the center of the room.

[0056] The three images at the bottom represent partial images cut out as preview images from the omnidirectional image captured near the back of the room. Note that for the images captured near the back of the room, an example is shown in Fig. 12 where a partial image looking toward the door from the back of the room is displayed as a preview image.

[0057] The horizontal direction in Fig. 12 represents different gaze directions. The images in the left column correspond to images with an elevation angle in the range of 0° to 90°, the images in the middle column correspond to images with an elevation or depression angle of 0°, and the images in the right column correspond to images with a depression angle in the range of 0° to 90°. Note that for each image arranged horizontally, the gaze direction can be specified within a 360° range in the horizontal direction. In this way, the image material providing system 20 in this embodiment can provide a preview image of a scene in any direction at any point on the travel route.

[0058] Moreover, by combining zooming in and out in each direction, it is possible to adjust the size of the image cut out from the image material. In addition, in the previous service, sample images with a fixed location, shooting direction, and angle of view for the property are provided online. Therefore, when selecting the provided sample image as the property image, it is not possible to differentiate from other businesses. For this reason, each real estate company sends staff to the site to take images from attractive angles, but as mentioned above, the labor and cost burden is too large.

[0059] In Fig. 12, the clip image that has been instructed to be recorded is shown in a bold frame in the preview image. The example shown in Fig. 12 is an extreme example, but it is an example in which the direction of the line of sight is changed for the door position, the center, and the back of the room. Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of the adjustment of the orientation that can be displayed as a preview image and the image recorded as a clip image. In Fig. 13, the same reference numerals are used to denote parts corresponding to those in Fig. 12.

[0060] In the case of Figure 13, the line of sight of the clipped images is always directed upward. However, the image shown in a thick frame only indicates that an image directed upward from the horizontal direction has been selected, and the elevation angle may be fixed or variable. For example, the clipped image may start with a partial image with an elevation angle of 0° near the door, switch to a partial image of a distinctive bay window or ceiling near the center of the room, and end with a partial image with the line of sight slightly lowered so that a distinctive floor material is reflected at the back of the room.

[0061] In this way, a real estate company receiving image material from the image material providing system 20 of this embodiment can check the preview image, extract an image from the image material with an attractive angle that makes use of their own know-how, and download it as a clip image. As a result, while using common image materials, each real estate company can create an attractive property homepage that reflects their own company's know-how. Of course, since real estate company staff and others do not need to visit the site, the time required for creating a website can be significantly reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to review the work of staff.

[0062] Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining another example of a screen in which an image material to be displayed as a preview image is specified using information on a travel route. (A) is an example of a screen showing a map of the route used to capture the image material, and (B) is an example of a screen showing a display example of a preview image cut out from a celestial sphere image of a point specified on the travel route. Note that Fig. 14 is shown with the same reference numerals as Fig. 11 assigned to corresponding parts. In this embodiment, the image data used is omnidirectional image data captured while moving on foot from the nearest station to the property. That is, the image data corresponding to the moving route is captured on the sidewalk. Therefore, routes including shopping streets and stairs where vehicles cannot pass are also included in each moving route. However, capturing images from the roadway is not excluded.

[0063] When capturing an image on a sidewalk, unlike capturing an image from a roadway, image material is obtained in which buildings along the road are not hidden by vehicles parked on the road or roadside trees. Of course, other pedestrians may be captured on the sidewalk, but the area hidden by pedestrians is smaller than the area hidden by vehicles or roadside trees. For this reason, a omnidirectional image captured as a moving image on the sidewalk is used as image material. In the screen 302 shown in FIG. 14(A), a staff member of a real estate company moves a mouse cursor 311 to the vicinity of ○△ Junior High School and clicks it.

[0064] When detecting a click operation, the image material providing server 22 identifies the latitude and longitude of the clicked point, and extracts a celestial sphere image in which the identified latitude and longitude or a latitude and longitude close to the identified latitude and longitude are recorded from the corresponding image material. Next, the image material providing server 22 cuts out a preview image as an initial image from the extracted spherical image, and displays it on the display of the computer 30.

[0065] On the screen 302 shown in FIG. 14(B), a preview image of the ○△ Junior High School captured from the front is displayed in a display field 312 by operating the mouse 31 (see FIG. 11). Furthermore, depending on the location specified on the map, there is a high possibility that it will not completely match the image of the subject you want to post on your website. In this case, the staff of the real estate company fine-tunes the location displayed as the preview image of the location by operating the play button or the like of the operation buttons 314. Of course, the line of sight direction can be changed by operating the mouse 31.

[0066] By combining this with specifying a point on the map, you can quickly arrive at the scenery you want to check as a preview image, just like in the case of Figure 11. In the example of Figure 14, when a point on the travel route is specified, the screen switches to 302 consisting of a display field 312 that displays a preview image and operation buttons 314. However, as in the case of Figure 11, a map mapping the travel route may be placed on the same screen as the display field 312.

[0067] In addition, in the case of Figure 14, the explanation is based on the assumption that the route traveled when capturing images of image materials related to a property specified by the staff of the real estate company is mapped on a map, but it is also possible to search for images containing scenery that the user would like to use on the homepage by specifying a specific area from the displayed map. For example, in Fig. 14, there may be a case where an image of the ○□ Elementary School behind the property is to be posted. The ○□ Elementary School is not on the route of travel of the image material that captures the route from the nearest station to the property. In this case, if only image material related to the property is displayed on the screen 302, an image containing the desired scenery cannot be downloaded as a clip image.

[0068] However, the travel route of image material associated with another property in the same area may include a route that passes in front of ○□ Elementary School. In such a case, by designating a specific road or a target facility on the map, a list of image materials associated with the designated road or facility may be presented on the screen. Also, the contents of each image material may be played back in order as a preview image.

[0069] In this case, the movement path of the image material corresponding to the preview image may be mapped on a map. Also, as the preview image is played back, a marker indicating the location of the preview image being displayed may move on the map. Note that multiple image materials associated with the same subject are not necessarily captured at the same time or season. For example, some image materials may be captured in the early morning hours or at night, while others may be captured in winter or summer. However, by being able to check the contents of multiple image materials linked to different properties as preview images, it becomes possible to use an image that is closer to your image on your homepage.

[0070] <Embodiment 2> In this embodiment, an image material providing system 20 (see FIG. 1) to which a function for generating a panoramic image has been added will be described. The configuration example of the homepage creation support system 1 (see FIG. 1) used in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the hardware configuration of the image material providing system 20 is also the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0071] Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the image material providing server 22A used in the second embodiment. In Fig. 15, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The image material providing server 22A shown in FIG. 15 differs from the image material providing server 22 shown in FIG. 6 in that it uses a preview processing unit 220D1 having a function of generating a panoramic image. Preview processing unit 220D1 used in this embodiment also has a function of generating a preview image from image material in accordance with an instruction from computer 30.

[0072] In this embodiment, the panoramic image is generated for a section on the travel route specified by the staff of the real estate company. The section may be the entire travel route when the image material was captured, or a part of it. For example, only a specific street may be specified. As described above, the image material assumed in this embodiment includes a celestial sphere image corresponding to all points on the travel route, so that scenery along the travel route can be cut out from each image frame for both the right and left sides of the travel direction.

[0073] If the scenery on the right and left sides in the direction of movement were cut out from all image frames, then almost the same scenery would continue. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the preview processing unit 220D1 receives an instruction from the computer 30 to generate a panoramic image, it selectively extracts images captured from the front of buildings lined up on the same side of the street, and stitches together the extracted images in the order in which they appear to generate the panoramic image.

[0074] 16 is a diagram for explaining an example of generating a panoramic image. (A) is an image of a shopping street for which generation of a panoramic image is specified, and (B) is an example of a panoramic image generated from image material corresponding to the shopping street. 16A, in this embodiment, it is possible to capture a celestial sphere image as a moving image while passing through a shopping mall where vehicles cannot pass. Needless to say, the shopping mall is just one example.

[0075] In this embodiment, the preview processing unit 220D1 uses image recognition (including AI) technology to identify one frame from multiple consecutive frames that is deemed to be the front of the same building, and cuts out an image of the front of the building from that frame. By repeating this process in the order in which the buildings appear, a panoramic image is generated by cutting out and stitching together buildings that exist on the right side of the direction of movement in a shopping district, for example. Of course, it is also possible to generate a panoramic image by cutting out and stitching together buildings on the left side of the same shopping street in the direction of travel.

[0076] Panoramic images of both the left and right sides may be generated according to instructions from the computer 30, or only a panoramic image of the side designated by the staff of the real estate agency may be generated. In the present embodiment, the panoramic image is cut out in units of buildings, excluding vacant lots, roads, etc. However, it is possible to cut out vacant lots, roads, etc. by regarding them as buildings. The panoramic image generated in this embodiment is different from a typical panoramic image captured with a wide angle of view from one viewpoint, in that the image capture point is the front of each building. Therefore, the panoramic image in this embodiment is a so-called montage.

[0077] Each building constituting the panoramic image retains information such as the image capture location and image capture time associated with the frame from which the image was extracted. Therefore, when a specific building in the panoramic image is specified on the preview screen, it is possible to read out the spherical image from which the specified building was extracted. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example of using a panoramic image. (A) shows an example of a panoramic image displayed as a preview image, and (B) shows an example of a preview image generated from a celestial sphere image capturing a building specified in the panoramic image from the front.

[0078] Although it is possible to find a target building by displaying a preview image through designation of a point on a map, it is possible to find a target building in a shorter time by using the panoramic image of this embodiment. In addition, after a celestial sphere image of a target building captured from the front is displayed as a preview image, it is possible to cut out an image with an angle that reflects the know-how of a real estate company in a shorter time by changing the display position or the line of sight by rewinding or fast-forwarding.

[0079] <Other embodiments> (1) Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. It is clear from the claims that various modifications and improvements to the above embodiment are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0080] (2) For example, in the above-described embodiment, a celestial sphere image is assumed as the image material, but a hemispherical image or a wide-angle image with a wider angle of view than that of a general camera may be used. Note that the wide-angle image may include an image captured with a lens with a focal length of 35 mm or less (a so-called wide-angle lens) or an image captured with a lens with a focal length of 24 mm or less (a so-called ultra-wide-angle lens). Note that an image captured with an ultra-wide-angle lens may have an angle of view of 160° in the forward left-right direction and 120° in the up-down direction, for example.

[0081] (3) In the above embodiment, a celestial sphere image captured as a moving image while the image material is moving is assumed, but a celestial sphere image captured in a stationary state may be included in the image material. Also, a celestial sphere image captured as a still image may be included in the image material.

[0082] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the angle of view for capturing a celestial sphere image has been described as an example of the second angle of view. However, the second angle of view may be any angle as long as it is wider than the first angle of view that defines the angle of view of a preview image displayed on computer 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1... Home page production support system, 10... Camera, 20... Image material providing system, 21... Image material database, 22, 22A... Image material providing server, 30... Computer, 31... Mouse, 40... Communication network, 50... Memory, 220... Data processing unit, 220A... CPU, 220B... ROM, 220C... RAM, 220D, 220D1... Preview processing unit, 220E... Clip providing unit, 221... Hard disk drive, 222... Communication module

Claims

1. An image material providing method executed by a system that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses a service, comprising: A process of displaying, on the terminal as a preview image, a part of second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a room and / or a periphery of a target object with a second angle of view wider than the first angle of view; a process of providing a partial image of the displayed preview image designated by the terminal as the first image data; having When an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, image data capturing buildings lined up on the same side of the street from the front is selectively extracted from the second image data, the extracted image data are stitched together in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and the generated panoramic image is displayed on the terminal as the preview image. How to provide image materials.

2. When a specific building is selected from the panoramic image, The system comprises: providing the first image data including the selected building to the terminal; The image material providing method according to claim 1 .

3. The second image data is omnidirectional image data.

3. The image material providing method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An image material providing system that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses a service, a storage device that stores second image data captured as a moving image while moving within and / or around a target object with a second angle of view that is wider than the first angle of view; a preview processing unit that displays a portion of the second image data as a preview image on the terminal; a providing unit that provides a partial image of the second image data, the partial image being specified by the terminal, as the first image data; having When an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, image data capturing buildings lined up on the same side of the street from the front is selectively extracted from the second image data, the extracted image data are stitched together in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and the generated panoramic image is displayed on the terminal as the preview image. Image material provision system.

5. a computer that provides first image data defined by a first angle of view to a terminal of a real estate company that uses the service; a function of displaying, on the terminal as a preview image, a part of second image data captured as a moving image while moving around the room and / or the periphery of the target object with a second angle of view wider than the first angle of view; a function of providing a partial image of the displayed preview image designated by the terminal as the first image data; a function of selectively extracting, when an instruction is given from the terminal to display a panoramic image of the second image data captured as a moving image while moving around a street around the property, image data capturing buildings lined up on the same side of the street from the front from the second image data, stitching together the extracted image data in order of appearance to generate a panoramic image, and displaying the generated panoramic image on the terminal as the preview image; A program to achieve this.

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