Display control device, image file management device, display control method, and display control program

Abstract

Provided are a novel display control device, image file management device, display control method and display control program.　This processor obtains a plurality of image data, obtains area information, which is information about an area pertaining to said image data, selects first image data (G1c) on the basis of a first standard from an image file group G1, which is a set of the image data to which the same area information corresponds, and on the basis of the first image data, performs a control for displaying one or more of the image data (G1e, G1f) in the image data group on a display (44) as second image data.

Description

Display control device, image file management device, display control method, and display control program

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device, an image file management device, a display control method, and a display control program.

[0002] Patent document 1 describes an imaging system that includes an imaging device that is installed in a movable manner and that has an input means for accepting input of user information that identifies a user who will be taking an image using the imaging device, and an imaging device communication means for associating image data obtained by imaging with the user information and transmitting the image data to an external device, an image server that stores the image data obtained by the imaging device in association with the user information of the user who took the image, and a communication device that receives the image data from the imaging device and transmits the image data to the image server.

[0003] Patent Literature 2 describes a selfie system in which a network camera transmits image information, a beacon transmits beacon information, a mobile terminal receives the beacon information, generates tracking data corresponding to the beacon information based on the reception status of the beacon information, transmits the generated tracking data, and a server receives the image information transmitted from the network camera and the tracking data transmitted from the mobile terminal, and identifies an image of a portion of the image information related to the date and time of the subject's entry and exit based on the image information and tracking data.

[0004] Patent Document 3 describes an imaging device that includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject, an imaging location information acquisition unit that acquires imaging location information related to the imaging location where the image was captured, a data storage unit that stores images captured by the imaging unit in association with the imaging location information acquired by the imaging location information acquisition unit, a region reception unit that accepts region designation from a user, and an in-region image output unit that refers to the imaging location information stored in the data storage unit, reads out images captured within the region accepted by the region reception unit from the data storage unit, and outputs the images.

[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-289436 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-114952 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-281418

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel display control device, an image file management device, a display control method, and a display control program.

[0007] A display control device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor acquires multiple image data, acquires area information which is information on an area related to the image data, selects first image data from an image data group which is a collection of the image data corresponding to the same area information based on a first criterion, and controls the display of at least one image data from the image data group as second image data based on the first image data.

[0008] A display control device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor acquires a plurality of image data, controls the display of first image data from the plurality of image data on a display, and controls the display of at least one image data from the plurality of image data as second image data based on the state of a subject contained in the first image data.

[0009] An image file management device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a processor and a memory, and the processor acquires a plurality of image files, acquires area information which is information about areas related to the image files, and controls the classification of the plurality of image files based on the area information.

[0010] A display control method of one embodiment of the present invention acquires multiple image data, acquires area information which is information on an area related to the image data, selects first image data based on a first criterion from an image data group which is a collection of image data corresponding to the same area information, and controls the display of at least one image data from the image data group as second image data based on the first image data.

[0011] A display control program of one embodiment of the present invention causes a processor to execute the steps of acquiring multiple image data, acquiring area information which is information on an area related to the image data, selecting first image data based on a first criterion from an image data group which is a collection of the image data corresponding to the same area information, and controlling the display of at least one image data from the image data group as second image data based on the first image data.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display control device, an image file management device, a display control method, and a display control program.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image management system 100 including a display control device 40 which is an embodiment of the display control device or image file management device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an acquired image file group 50. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of classification of the acquired image file group 50. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing examples of image file groups G1, G2, G3 generated by a selection process. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a display area 44R of a display 44. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display on the display 44. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display on the display 44. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing modified examples of image file groups G1, G2, G3 generated by a selection process. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display on the display 44.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image management system 100 including a display control device 40, which is one embodiment of a display control device or image file management device of the present invention. The image management system 100 includes one or more imaging devices 1 (in the example of FIG. 1, three imaging devices: imaging device 1a, imaging device 1b, and imaging device 1c), a network 2 such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN), an image storage server 3, and an image browsing device 4. The imaging device 1 is disposed in a facility such as an amusement facility, a theme park, an event venue such as a wedding hall, or a studio. The three imaging devices 1 are disposed at different positions in the facility and configured to capture images of users and the like using the facility from different directions.

[0015] In the example of FIG. 1 , three imaging devices 1 are installed in the amusement facility 200. An administrator of the amusement facility 200 has set up an area AR1 for a first game, an area AR2 for a second game, and an area AR3 for a third game. An imaging device 1 is installed corresponding to each of these three areas. Imaging device 1a is arranged so as to be able to capture images of subjects such as people or animals in area AR1. Imaging device 1b is arranged so as to be able to capture images of subjects such as people or animals in area AR2. Imaging device 1c is arranged so as to be able to capture images of subjects such as people or animals in area AR3. Note that multiple imaging devices 1 may be installed in one area with different positions and imaging directions.

[0016] The imaging device 1 includes an imaging element, an image processing circuit that processes an image signal obtained by capturing an image of a subject with the imaging element to generate image data, and a communication interface connectable to a network 2. The imaging device 1 may be, for example, a digital camera or a smartphone. Image data generated by the imaging device 1 is also referred to as image data captured by the imaging device 1. The imaging device 1 transmits an image file containing the generated image data and associated information to the image data via the network 2 to the image storage server 3. The associated information of the image data includes the time the image data was generated (synonymous with the capture time) and identification information of the imaging device 1 that generated the image data. This associated information may include information about the area captured by the imaging device 1 or location information of the imaging device 1 (such as latitude and longitude). The imaging device 1 automatically and continuously captures images or automatically and at predetermined intervals under the control of a control device (not shown). Therefore, a large amount of image data is sequentially uploaded to the image storage server 3.

[0017] The imaging device 1 may capture a still image to generate image data of the still image, or may capture a moving image to generate moving image data, which is a collection of image data of the still images. In other words, an image file may contain image data of a still image and associated information, or may contain moving image data and associated information.

[0018] The image storage server 3 includes a processor, a communication interface connectable to the network 2, and a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). This storage device may be a network storage device connected to the network 2. The processor of the image storage server 3 acquires the image files transmitted from the imaging device 1 and stores the acquired image files in the storage device.

[0019] The image viewing device 4 is a device for viewing some or all of the image files stored in the storage device of the image storage server 3. The image viewing device 4 includes a display 44 such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display panel, and a display control device 40 that controls the display of image data included in the image files on the display 44. Displaying image data means displaying an image based on that image data.

[0020] The display 44 is equipped with a touch panel, and the user can perform various operations on the display area with a finger or the like. The display 44 does not have to be equipped with a touch panel. In this case, it is sufficient to allow operations on the display 44 to be performed using an operating device such as a mouse connected to the display control device 40.

[0021] The display control device 40 includes a communication interface 41 for connecting to the network 2 , a memory 42 including a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a processor 43 .

[0022] The processor of the image storage server 3 and the processor 43 of the display control device 40 are each a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs including a display control program) to perform various functions, a programmable logic device (PLD), which is a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a dedicated electrical circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing specific processing. Furthermore, the processor of the image storage server 3 and the processor 43 of the display control device 40 may each be configured with a single processor, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). More specifically, the hardware structure of the processor of the image storage server 3 and the processor 43 of the display control device 40 is an electric circuit (circuitry) that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0023] Next, the processing performed by the processor 43 of the display control device 40 will be described.

[0024] The processor 43 acquires, via the network 2, image files that have not yet been acquired from the image files stored in the storage device of the image storage server 3, at specific times such as every time a predetermined time has elapsed or when the number of newly stored image files in the storage device of the image storage server 3 reaches a predetermined value.

[0025] (Area Correspondence Processing) The processor 43 acquires area information, which is information on areas related to image data included in each image file, based on all image files acquired from the image storage server 3 (hereinafter referred to as acquired image file group 50). The area information related to image data is information that identifies the area that is the subject of imaging by the imaging device 1 that generated (captured) the image data. When the processor 43 acquires the area information related to the image data of each image file, it performs processing to associate the area information with the image data.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the acquired image file group 50. The rectangles included in the acquired image file group 50 represent image data 51 included in each image file in the acquired image file group 50. For example, if the processor 43 detects a feature point, such as a pattern, character, or object, that characterizes the area AR1 from one piece of image data 51 shown in FIG. 2 , the processor 43 determines that the area from which the image data 51 was captured is area AR1 and associates area information identifying area AR1 with the image data 51. Similarly, if the processor 43 detects a feature point that characterizes the area AR2 from the image data 51, the processor 43 determines that the area from which the image data 51 was captured is area AR2 and associates area information identifying area AR2 with the image data 51. Similarly, if the processor 43 detects a feature point that characterizes the area AR3 from the image data 51, the processor 43 determines that the area from which the image data 51 was captured is area AR3 and associates area information identifying area AR3 with the image data 51. The processor 43 performs this association process for all image data 51 included in the acquired image file group 50 .

[0027] Note that area information related to image data 51 can also be obtained by methods other than analyzing the image data 51. For example, if area information is included in the attached information of an image file, the processor 43 may obtain the area information from the image file and determine the area in which the image data 51 was captured. In this case, the image data and area information are already associated, so no association process is necessary. Also, if location information is included in the attached information of an image file, the processor 43 may determine the area in which the image data 51 was captured based on the location information and associate area information specifying the determined area with the image data 51. Alternatively, area information may be obtained by analyzing the image data 51 only for image files whose attached information does not include area information and location information. If area information cannot be obtained by either method, for example, attached information indicating unknown area information may be added to the image file so that it can be distinguished from image files for which area information has been acquired. Area information may also be input by the user for acquired image files for which area information is unknown. In the following description, it is assumed that area information is associated with each piece of image data 51 in the acquired image file group 50 shown in FIG. 2, thereby generating an acquired image file group 50A.

[0028] (Classification Process) The processor 43 executes a classification process to classify the acquired image file group 50A based on the area information associated with each image data included therein. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of classification of the acquired image file group 50A. In the example of Fig. 3, the acquired image file group 50A is classified into an image file group g1 which is a collection of image files including image data 51 corresponding to area information specifying area AR1, an image file group g2 which is a collection of image files including image data 51 corresponding to area information specifying area AR2, and an image file group g3 which is a collection of image files including image data 51 corresponding to area information specifying area AR3.

[0029] (Selection Process) The processor 43 executes a selection process to select image data (hereinafter also referred to as third image data) based on the second criterion from the image data included in each image file group obtained by the classification process. Specifically, the processor 43 selects, as third image data, image data 51 that meets the second criterion from the image data 51 in the image file group g1 shown in FIG. 3 , and obtains an image file group G1 including the selected image data 51. The processor 43 also selects, as third image data, image data 51 that meets the second criterion from the image data 51 in the image file group g2 shown in FIG. 3 , and obtains an image file group G2 including the selected image data 51. The processor 43 also selects, as third image data, image data 51 that meets the second criterion from the image file group g3 shown in FIG. 3 , and obtains an image file group G3 including the selected image data 51.

[0030] 4 shows examples of image file groups G1, G2, and G3 generated by the selection process. Of the image data included in the acquired image file group 50A shown in FIG. 4, the image data 51x shown in the dashed rectangle indicates image data that does not satisfy the second criterion and was not selected by the processor 43.

[0031] 4, nine pieces of image data 51 included in image file group G1 are shown as image data G1a to G1i, three pieces of image data 51 included in image file group G2 are shown as image data G2a to G2c, and five pieces of image data 51 included in image file group G3 are shown as image data G3a to G3e.

[0032] Note that the selection process and the classification process may be performed in either order. That is, the processor 43 may select image files including image data 51 that satisfy the second criterion from the acquired image file group 50, and classify the selected image files based on the area information to generate the image file groups G1, G2, and G3 shown in FIG.

[0033] The second criterion is a requirement regarding the image quality of the image data, specifically, that the image quality be equal to or greater than a quality threshold. The second criterion is not limited to requirements regarding image quality, but may also be requirements such as the image data including a person or an animal, or the image data being selected by a user of the image browsing device 4. Image quality being equal to or greater than a quality threshold refers, for example, to a score derived from an evaluation of the image data, the score being equal to or greater than a score threshold. The score of the image data is derived based on, for example, evaluation values ​​such as brightness, color, and contrast; an evaluation value for the sharpness of the person or animal included in the image data; an evaluation value determined by whether the eyes of the person or animal included in the image data are open; an evaluation value determined by whether the position or size of the person or animal included in the image data meets a predetermined condition; an evaluation value determined by the facial expression (degree of smile) of the person or animal included in the image data; and an evaluation value determined by whether the facial orientation of the person or animal included in the image data meets a predetermined condition. For example, the score may be the sum of these multiple evaluation values. One of these multiple evaluation values ​​may be used as the score itself. Furthermore, the requirement of the second criterion may be determined using artificial intelligence. The subsequent requirements may also be determined similarly using artificial intelligence.

[0034] (Display Processing) The processor 43 selects image data (hereinafter also referred to as first image data) from any of the image file groups shown in FIG. 4 based on a first criterion and controls the display of the first image data on the display 44. The first criterion may be a requirement that the image data be specified by a user, that the image data be the highest quality image data, that the image data be randomly determined, that the image data include a specific subject, or that the image data be the oldest captured image data. The display 44 and the display control device 40 may be separate entities. A relay device or the like may be interposed between the display 44 and the display control device 40. The "control of displaying image data on the display 44" performed by the processor 43 also includes control for displaying image data on the display 44 via the relay device. For example, the "control of displaying image data on the display 44" performed by the processor 43 also includes control for outputting image data to the relay device so that the relay device can control the display of image data on the display 44.

[0035] Furthermore, the processor 43 selects at least one image data as second image data from the group of image files to which the selected first image data belongs, based on the first image data, and performs control to display the second image data on the display 44. Hereinafter, selecting image data displayed on the display 44 means selecting the image data or an image file containing this image data.

[0036] 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a display area 44R of the display 44. The display area 44R is rectangular in shape, with its longitudinal direction in direction X and its transverse direction in direction Y, which intersects with direction X (orthogonal in the example of FIG. 5 ). The display area 44R includes a first area 44A extending in direction Y and disposed at one end of direction X, a second area 44B extending in direction Y and disposed at the other end of direction X, and a third area 44C, a fourth area 44D, and a fifth area 44E disposed between the first area 44A and the second area 44B.

[0037] The processor 43 performs control to display, in the fifth area 44E, area images showing area information corresponding to each image file group shown in Fig. 4. In the example of Fig. 5, an area image 441 showing area information corresponding to the image file group G1, an area image 442 showing area information corresponding to the image file group G2, and an area image 443 showing area information corresponding to the image file group G3 are displayed in the fifth area 44E.

[0038] When any one of area image 441, area image 442, and area image 443 displayed in fifth area 44E is selected, processor 43 performs control to display image data of the image file group corresponding to the selected area image in first area 44A. Fig. 5 shows an example in which two area images can be selected simultaneously, and when two of area image 441, area image 442, and area image 443 displayed in fifth area 44E are selected, processor 43 performs control to display image data of the image file group corresponding to one selected area image in first area 44A and image data of the image file group corresponding to the other selected area image in second area 44B.

[0039] Fig. 6 shows a display example in which area images 441 and 442 are selected from the state shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 6, some of the nine image data 51 (image data G1a, image data G1b, image data G1c, image data G1d, and image data G1e) included in image file group G1 are displayed in first area 44A. Furthermore, three image data 51 (denoted as image data G2a, image data G2b, and image data G2c) included in image file group G2 are displayed in second area 44B. In the example shown in Fig. 6, not all of the image data in image file group G1 is displayed at once in first area 44A. In such a case, all of the image data in image file group G1 may be displayed by scrolling.

[0040] 7 shows a display example in which one of the image data displayed in the first area 44A (here, image data G1c) is selected by a user operation from the state shown in FIG. 6. When the image data G1c is selected by a user operation, the processor 43 selects the image data G1c as the first image data. Note that the processor 43 may select, without a user operation, the image data with the oldest capture time, the image data with the highest image quality, or a randomly selected image data from the image file group G1 displayed in the first area 44A as the first image data.

[0041] When the processor 43 selects the image data G1c as the first image data, it performs control to display the image data G1c in the third area 44C and the fourth area 44D. The processor 43 further performs control to select the image data G1e and the image data G1f from the image file group G1 as the second image data based on the image data G1c or the attached information of the image data G1c, and to display them in the fourth area 44D.

[0042] Specifically, the processor 43 selects at least one image data item from the image file group G1 based on the capture time of the image data item G1c. For example, the processor 43 selects, from the image data items in the image file group G1, image data item G1e, which is image data captured at a first time point before the capture time of the image data item G1c, and image data item G1f, which is image data captured at a second time point before the first time point, as the second image data. The processor 43 may select only one of the image data item G1e and the image data item G1f as the second image data.

[0043] The processor 43 may also perform control to select, as the second image data, image data G1b that is image data captured at a time later than the image data G1c, instead of either the image data G1e or the image data G1f, and display the selected image data in the fourth area 44D. The processor 43 may also perform control to select, as the second image data, image data G1b that is image data captured at a time later than the image data G1c, instead of the image data G1e and the image data G1f, and display the selected image data in the fourth area 44D.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 7 , the image data displayed in the fourth area 44D is preferably displayed in order according to the capture time. That is, the order of the image data displayed in the fourth area 44D preferably varies depending on the combination of selected images. Note that the processor 43 controls the display of image data G1c (=first image data) in the fourth area 44D, but this is not essential and may be omitted. That is, only the second image data may be displayed in the fourth area 44D. Furthermore, three or more pieces of second image data may be displayed in the fourth area 44D.

[0045] In this way, the processor 43 selects as the second image data at least one of the image data in the image file group G1, which is image data captured at a first time before the image data G1c (= first image data) and image data captured at a time after the image data G1c.

[0046] In addition, the processor 43 may select as the second image data at least one of the image data in the image file group G1 that was captured in a time period earlier than the time period including the capture time of the image data G1c (=first image data) and the image data that was captured in a time period later than the time period including the capture time of the image data G1c.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 7, the display size of the image data displayed in the fourth area 44D is preferably smaller than the display size of the image data displayed in the third area 44C. Also, the display size of the image data displayed in the first area 44A and the second area 44B is preferably smaller than the display size of the image data displayed in the third area 44C. In the state shown in Fig. 7, for example, when image data G1e is selected, the processor 43 preferably changes the image data displayed in the third area 44C from image data G1c to image data G1e.

[0048] <Major Effects of the Image Viewing Device 4> With the image viewing device 4, a user can simply select image data of interest from the displayed image file group G1. The user can then view the selected image data in a large display size in the third area 44C. Furthermore, the user can view image data captured before, after, or around the time of capture of the selected image data in the same area in the fourth area 44D. This allows the user to easily view not only the image data of interest but also image data temporally related to the selected image data. This makes it easy to extract the desired image data even when a large amount of image data captured in the same area exists. Furthermore, because the first image data (image data G1c) is displayed not only in the third area 44C but also in the fourth area 44D, even when switching between the first image data and the second image data displayed in the third area 44C, the user can always see the relationship between the first image data and the second image data in the fourth area 44D, improving user convenience.

[0049] <First variant of the method for selecting second image data from the image file group G1> The processor 43 may select, from the image data in the image file group G1, image data captured on a day other than the day including the capture time of the first image data as the second image data.

[0050] For example, the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data captured on a day other than the day the first image data was captured, including the same person as the person in the first image data and / or image data with a similar composition to the first image data. For example, if the imaging device 1 is fixed to capture the same area, image data with a similar composition to the first image data can be obtained if the same person is present in a similar position on a different day. In this way, for first image data that interests the user, second image data captured in the past in the same environment and including the same person or composition can be displayed in the fourth area 44D. This makes it possible, for example, if the first image data includes a child, to easily check the child's level of growth by comparing the first image data with the second image data. For example, it is possible to check differences in the child's engagement with specific equipment at the play facility 200.

[0051] <Second Modification of Method for Selecting Second Image Data from Image File Group G1> The processor 43 may select the second image data from the image data of the image file group G1 based on the subject included in the first image data. "Selecting the second image data based on the subject" includes selecting the second image data based on the state of the subject.

[0052] Specifically, the processor 43 may select the second image data based on the state of a person among the subjects included in the first image data. For example, assume that the first image data includes a person with both feet off the ground. In this case, the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, at least one of image data including the person just before both feet leave the ground and image data including the person just after both feet land on the ground. In this manner, the user can check the second image data related to the state of the person included in the first image data simply by selecting the first image data, which can be used as an aid in selecting image data.

[0053] The processor 43 may select the second image data based on the state of an object other than a person among the subjects included in the first image data. For example, assume that the first image data includes sports equipment, such as a skateboard or snowboard, that is off the ground. In this case, the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, at least one of image data including the sports equipment just before it leaves the ground and image data including the sports equipment just after it lands on the ground. In this way, the user can check the second image data related to the state of the object included in the first image data simply by selecting the first image data, which can be used as an aid in selecting image data.

[0054] <Third Modification of the Method for Selecting Second Image Data from Image File Group G1> The above-mentioned "selecting second image data based on the subject" includes selecting second image data based on numerical values ​​related to the subject. The numerical values ​​related to the subject include the number of subjects included in the first image data or the number of types of subjects included in the first image data.

[0055] Specifically, the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that contains the same number of subjects as the number of subjects included in the first image data. This allows the user to confirm the second image data that contains the same number of subjects as the first image data without performing any special operations, which can be used as an aid in selecting image data. Note that the processor 43 may also select, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that contains the same number of types of subjects as the number of types of subjects included in the first image data. This also allows the user to confirm the second image data that contains the same number of types of subjects as the first image data simply by performing a selection operation for the first image data, which can be used as an aid in selecting image data.

[0056] The processor 43 may select, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that includes a number of subjects different from the number of subjects included in the first image data. Similarly, the processor 43 may select, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that includes a number of types of subjects different from the number of types of subjects included in the first image data. In this way, the user can check the second image data that differs in number or type of subjects from the first image data simply by performing a selection operation for the first image data, which can be used as an aid in selecting image data.

[0057] In the third modification, assume that the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that contains the same number of subjects as the first image data. In this case, there may be a situation where the image data from the image file group G1 does not contain image data containing the same number of subjects as the first image data. If no candidate for the second image data exists, the processor 43 may perform processing to acquire an image that serves as a candidate for the second image data. For example, the processor 43 may control the image capture device 1 to change the settings (focal length and shooting direction) of the image capture device 1 that captured the first image data so that image data containing the same number of subjects as the first image data is captured. For example, the processor 43 issues a command via the network 2 to a control device that controls the image capture device 1, and the control device changes the settings of the image capture device 1 in response to this command. With this configuration, even if no candidate for the second image data exists, a candidate can be obtained by changing the settings of the image capture device 1, which can assist the user in selecting image data.

[0058] Similarly, suppose that the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that includes a number of subjects different from the number of subjects included in the first image data. In this case, there may be a situation where the image data from the image file group G1 does not include image data that includes a number of subjects different from the number of subjects included in the first image data. In such a situation, the processor 43 may control to change the settings (focal length and shooting direction) of the imaging device 1 that captured the first image data so that image data that includes a number of subjects different from the number of subjects included in the first image data is captured.

[0059] Similarly, assume that the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that includes the same number of types of subjects as the number of types of subjects included in the first image data. In this case, there may be a situation where the image data in the image file group G1 does not include image data that includes the same number of types of subjects as the number of types of subjects included in the first image data. In such a situation, the processor 43 may control to change the settings (focal length and shooting direction) of the imaging device 1 that captured the first image data so that image data that includes the same number of types of subjects as the number of types of subjects included in the first image data is captured.

[0060] Similarly, assume that the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that includes a number of subject types different from the number of subject types included in the first image data. In this case, there may be a situation where the image data from the image file group G1 does not include image data that includes a number of subject types different from the number of subject types included in the first image data. In such a situation, the processor 43 may control to change the settings (focal length and shooting direction) of the imaging device 1 that captured the first image data so that image data that includes a number of subject types different from the number of subject types included in the first image data is captured.

[0061] <Fourth Modification of Method for Selecting Second Image Data from Image File Group G1> The above-mentioned "selecting second image data based on the subject" includes selecting second image data based on the position of the subject.

[0062] Specifically, the processor may select, as the second image data, image data from the image file group G1 that has a different subject position (or composition) than the subject included in the first image data. For example, assume that the subject included in the first image data is located in the center of the first image data. In this case, the processor 43 selects, as the second image data, image data that includes the subject and is located at the right edge of the first image data, and image data that includes the subject and is located at the left edge of the first image data. In this way, second image data that capture the subject included in the first image data selected by the user but with a different composition can be displayed on the display 44, thereby assisting the user in selecting image data.

[0063] <Fifth variant of the method for selecting second image data from the image file group G1> The processor 43 may select second image data from the image data in the image file group G1 based on the imaging device 1 that captured the first image data.

[0064] For example, assume that there are three imaging devices 1a that capture images of the area AR1. In this case, the processor 43 selects, from the image data in the image file group G1, image data captured by an imaging device 1a other than the imaging device 1a that captured the first image data, as the second image data.

[0065] For example, assume that three imaging devices 1a are used to capture a scene of a child sliding down a slide. The three imaging devices 1a include a first imaging device capable of capturing an image of the child at the highest position (highest position) on the slide, a second imaging device capable of capturing an image of the child at an intermediate position on the slide, and a third imaging device capable of capturing an image of the child at the lowest position (lowest position) on the slide. If the first image data is captured by the second imaging device, the processor 43 selects the image data captured by the first imaging device and the image data captured by the third imaging device as the second image data. This allows the child's series of actions as he or she slides down the slide to be confirmed using the first image data and the second image data. Alternatively, multiple imaging devices may be arranged to capture images of a person or person before, during, and after the child slides down the slide, and a series of images from these images may be selected as the first image data and the second image data.

[0066] <Other Modifications> Figure 8 shows modifications of the image file groups G1, G2, and G3 generated by the selection process. Figure 8 is the same as Figure 4 except that image data G1c from the image file group G1 has been changed to video data MV. The video data MV is a collection of multiple image data items including image data MV1 to MV8. The smaller the number in the code for the image data MV1 to MV8, the earlier the image capture time.

[0067] When displaying this video data MV in the first area 44A, the processor 43 controls the extraction and display of a representative image (for example, the image with the oldest image capture time) from the multiple image data that make up this video data MV.

[0068] For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the processor 43 controls the display of image data MV1 in the first area 44A as a representative of the video data MV. In this state, if the user selects the image data MV1, the processor 43 selects the image data MV1 as the first image data and selects the second image data from among the image data constituting the video data MV that includes the image data MV1. The selection of the second image data may be based on, for example, the capture time of the first image data or the subject included in the first image data. FIG. 9 shows an example in which image data MV3 and image data MV6 are selected as the second image data. If the processor 43 selects image data MV1 as the first image data and image data MV3 and image data MV6 as the second image data, the processor 43 manages the video data MV by dividing it into three parts: first video data consisting of image data MV1 through image data MV2; second video data consisting of image data MV3 through image data MV5; and third video data consisting of image data MV6 through image data MV8.

[0069] In the state shown in FIG. 9 , when the processor 43 detects a video playback operation for the image data MV1 displayed in the third area 44C or the fourth area 44D (e.g., clicking on the image data MV1), it controls playback of the video data MV from the beginning (the image data with the oldest capture time) in the third area 44C. Playback of video data refers to displaying the image data constituting the video data in chronological order from oldest to newest capture time. When the processor 43 detects a video playback operation for the image data MV3 displayed in the fourth area 44D, it controls playback of the portion of the video data MV from the capture time of the image data MV3 onward in the third area 44C. When the processor 43 detects a video playback operation for the image data MV6 displayed in the fourth area 44D, it controls playback of the portion of the video data MV from the capture time of the image data MV6 onward in the third area 44C.

[0070] In this way, when the processor 43 selects a portion of the video data MV as the first image data, it selects the second image data from the image data included in the video data MV. This allows the user to check the image data included in the video data without playing the entire video data, improving the viewability of the image data. Furthermore, the processor 43 controls playback of videos corresponding to different time periods of the same video data MV (a video played from the beginning, a video played from the capture time of image data MV3, and a video played from the capture time of image data MV6). This allows the content of even long videos to be efficiently viewed. Video data may be played within the fourth area 44D. For example, when a cursor is superimposed on image data MV1 in the fourth area 44D by operating a mouse or the like, the image data MV1 on which the cursor is superimposed may be played as a video. Similarly, image data MV3 and image data MV6 in the fourth area 44D may also be played as videos when the cursor is superimposed thereon. In this case, the time periods of the videos played from the first image data and the second image data may be completely separated. 9, for example, the videos played from image data MV1 may be videos MV1 to MV2, the videos played from image data MV3 may be videos MV3 to MV5, and the videos played from image data MV6 may be videos MV6 to MV8. In this way, the video data MV can be viewed without overlap by simply moving the cursor from image data MV1 to image data MV6 in the fourth area 44D in order.

[0071] 4, the number of pieces of image data included in image file group G1, image file group G2, and image file group G3 are different from each other. Processor 43 may perform control so that the difference in the number of pieces of image data included in each of these image file groups is equal to or less than a threshold value (ideally, zero, i.e., the number of pieces of image data included in each image file group is the same).

[0072] For example, the processor 43 changes the second criterion used to obtain the image file groups G1, G2, and G3 from the image file groups g1, g2, and g3 shown in Figure 3 for each of the image file groups g1, g2, and g3, so that the difference in the number of image data items included in the image file groups G1, G2, and G3 is equal to or less than a threshold value. Alternatively, without changing the second criterion, the processor 43 changes the settings of the imaging devices 1a, 1b, and 1c so that the difference in the number of image data items included in the image file groups G1, G2, and G3 is equal to or less than a threshold value.

[0073] By doing this, the number of image data that can be displayed in the first area 44A and the second area 44B shown in Figure 7 can be made approximately the same, and image data can be viewed evenly in each area of ​​the amusement facility 200.

[0074] In the image management system 100 described above, some of the processes executed by the processor 43 may be executed by the processor of the image storage server 3. For example, at least one of the selection process and the classification process may be executed by the processor of the image storage server 3. In this case, the processor of the image storage server 3 and the processor 43 constitute a processor of a display control device or an image file management device.

[0075] As explained above, this specification describes at least the following items. Note that the elements in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiments, but are not limited to these.

[0076] (1) A display control device comprising a processor (processor 43) and a memory (memory 42), wherein the processor: acquires a plurality of image data (acquired image file group 50); acquires area information which is information on an area related to the image data; selects first image data (image data G1c in the example of Figure 7) from an image data group (image file group G1) which is a collection of the image data corresponding to the same area information, based on a first criterion; and controls to display at least one image data (image data G1e, G1f in the example of Figure 7) of the image data group as second image data on a display (display 44) based on the first image data.

[0077] (2) A display control device according to (1), wherein the processor selects third image data (each image data 51 in FIG. 4) from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion, and the image data group is a collection of the third image data (image file group G1) corresponding to the same area information.

[0078] (3) The display control device according to (1) or (2), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on an image capturing time of the first image data.

[0079] (4) A display control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, at least one of the image data captured before the imaging time of the first image data and the image data captured after the imaging time of the first image data.

[0080] (5) A display control device according to (4), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, the image data captured at a first time before the image capture time of the first image data and the image data captured at a second time before the first time.

[0081] (6) A display control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, image data captured on a day different from a day including the image capture time of the first image data.

[0082] (7) The display control device according to (1) or (2), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on a subject included in the first image data.

[0083] (8) The display control device according to (1), (2), or (7), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on a state of a subject included in the first image data.

[0084] (9) The display control device according to (1), (2), (7), or (8), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on a state of a person among the subjects included in the first image data.

[0085] (10) A display control device according to (1), (2), (7), or (8), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on the state of an object other than a person among the subjects included in the first image data.

[0086] (11) The display control device according to (1), (2), or (7), wherein the processor selects the second image data based on a numerical value related to a subject included in the first image data.

[0087] (12) The display control device according to (1), (2), (7), or (11), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, the image data that includes the same number of subjects as the number of subjects included in the first image data.

[0088] (13) The display control device according to (1), (2), (7), or (11), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, the image data that includes a number of subjects different from the number of subjects included in the first image data.

[0089] (14) A display control device according to any one of (11) to (13), wherein the plurality of image data are generated by an imaging device (imaging device 1), and the processor controls the imaging device to generate image data including a number of subjects based on the number of subjects included in the first image data.

[0090] (15) The display control device according to (1), (2), or (7), in which the processor selects the second image data based on a position of a subject included in the first image data.

[0091] (16) The display control device according to (1), (2), (7), or (15), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, the image data in which the position of the subject is different from that of the subject included in the first image data.

[0092] (17) A display control device according to (1) or (2), wherein the plurality of image data are generated by a plurality of imaging devices (imaging device 1), and the processor selects the second image data based on the imaging device that captured the first image data.

[0093] (18) The display control device according to (17), wherein the processor selects, as the second image data, the image data captured by an imaging device different from the imaging device that captured the first image data.

[0094] (19) A display control device according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein the plurality of image data includes video data (video data MV), the processor selects third image data (each image data 51 in FIG. 4) from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion, the image data group is a collection (image file group G1) of the third image data corresponding to the same area information, and further, when the processor selects the third image data (image data MV1 in the example of FIG. 9) constituting the video data as the first image data, it selects image data included in the video data (image data MV3, MV6 in the example of FIG. 9) as the second image data.

[0095] (20) The display control device according to (19), wherein the processor controls playback of video data including the first image data and video data including the second image data.

[0096] (21) A display control device according to (20), wherein the processor controls the video data to be played from the capture time of the second image data onwards when the second image data is selected, and controls the video data to be played from the beginning when the first image data is selected.

[0097] (22) A display control device according to any one of (1) to (21), wherein the processor selects third image data (each image data 51 in FIG. 4) from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion, the image data group is a collection of the third image data (image file groups G1, G2, G3) corresponding to the same area information, the processor controls the display to display the first image data (image data G1c displayed in the third area 44C in FIG. 7), the second image data (image data G1e, G1f displayed in the fourth area 44D in FIG. 7), and the third image data (image data displayed in the first area 44A in FIG. 7) included in any of the plurality of image data groups corresponding to different area information, and controls the difference in the number of the third image data to be displayed on the display for each image data group to be equal to or less than a threshold.

[0098] (23) A display control device according to any one of (1) to (21), wherein the processor selects third image data (each image data 51 in FIG. 4) from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion, the image data group is a collection of the third image data (image file groups G1, G2, G3) corresponding to the same area information, and the processor controls the difference between the number of the third image data included in the image data group (image file group G1) corresponding to the first area information and the number of the third image data included in the image data group (image file group G2) corresponding to the second area information to be equal to or less than a threshold.

[0099] (24) A display control device according to (23), wherein the processor: selects the third image data from the image data (image file group g1) corresponding to the first area information based on a third criterion (second criterion); selects the third image data from the image data group (image file group g2) corresponding to the second area information based on a fourth criterion (second criterion); and controls the difference to be equal to or less than a threshold by changing one or both of the third criterion and the fourth criterion.

[0100] (25) The display control device according to any one of (1) to (24), wherein the processor controls the display to display the first image data on the display.

[0101] (26) A display control device comprising a processor (processor 43) and a memory (memory 42), wherein the processor acquires a plurality of image data (acquired image file group 50), controls to display first image data (image data G1c in FIG. 7) from the plurality of image data on a display (display 44), and controls to display at least one image data (image data G1e, G1f in FIG. 7) from the plurality of image data on the display as second image data based on the state of a subject included in the first image data.

[0102] (27) An image file management device comprising a processor (processor 43) and a memory (memory 42), wherein the processor acquires a plurality of image files (acquired image file group 50), acquires area information that is information on areas related to the image files, and performs control to classify the plurality of image files based on the area information (classify into image file groups g1, g2, g3).

[0103] (28) A display control method comprising: acquiring a plurality of image data (acquired image file group 50); acquiring area information that is information on an area related to the image data; selecting first image data (image data G1c in FIG. 7) based on a first criterion from an image data group (image file group G1) that is a collection of the image data corresponding to the same area information; and controlling the display of at least one image data (image data G1e, G1f in FIG. 7) of the image data group as second image data on a display (display 44) based on the first image data.

[0104] (29) A display control program that causes a processor (processor 43) to execute the steps of acquiring a plurality of image data (acquired image file group 50), acquiring area information that is information on an area related to the image data, selecting first image data (image data G1c in Figure 7) based on a first criterion from an image data group (image file group G1) that is a collection of the image data corresponding to the same area information, and controlling the display of at least one image data (image data G1e, G1f in Figure 7) of the image data group as second image data on a display (display 44) based on the first image data.

[0105] Although various embodiments have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the invention.

[0106] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2022-059048) filed on March 31, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0107] 200 Amusement facility AR1, AR2, AR3 Area 100 Image management system 1a, 1b, 1c, 1 Imaging device 2 Network 3 Image storage server 4 Image viewing device 40 Display control device 41 Communication interface 42 Memory 43 Processor 44A First area 44B Second area 44C Third area 44D Fourth area 44E Fifth area 44R Display area 44 Display 50A, 50 Acquired image file group g1, g2, g3 Image file group G1, G2, G3 Image file group 51, 51x Image data G1a-G1i Image data G2a-G2c Image data G3a-G3e Image data MV1-MV8 Image data MV Video data 441, 442, 443 Area image

Claims

1. A processor and a memory, The processor, Acquire a plurality of image data; acquiring area information that is information about an area related to the image data; selecting a first image data from an image data group, which is a set of the image data corresponding to the same area information, based on a first criterion; A display control device that performs control to display at least one image data of the image data group as second image data on a display based on the first image data.

2. The display control device according to claim 1 , The processor selects third image data from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion; A display control device, wherein the image data group is a collection of the third image data corresponding to the same area information.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, The processor selects the second image data based on an imaging time of the first image data.

4. The display control device according to claim 3, A display control device in which the processor selects at least one of the image data captured before the imaging time of the first image data and the image data captured after the imaging time of the first image data as the second image data.

5. The display control device according to claim 4, A display control device in which the processor selects as the second image data the image data captured at a first time prior to the imaging time of the first image data and the image data captured at a second time prior to the first time.

6. The display control device according to claim 3, The processor selects, as the second image data, the image data captured on a day different from a day including the image capture time of the first image data.

7. The display control device according to claim 2, The processor selects the second image data based on a subject included in the first image data.

8. The display control device according to claim 7, The processor selects the second image data based on a state of a subject included in the first image data.

9. The display control device according to claim 8, The processor selects the second image data based on a state of a person among the subjects included in the first image data.

10. The display control device according to claim 8, The processor selects the second image data based on a state of an object other than a person among the subjects included in the first image data.

11. The display control device according to claim 7, The processor selects the second image data based on a numerical value related to a subject included in the first image data.

12. The display control device according to claim 11, The processor selects, as the second image data, the image data including the same number of subjects as the number of subjects included in the first image data.

13. The display control device according to claim 11, The processor selects, as the second image data, the image data including a number of subjects different from a number of subjects included in the first image data.

14. The display control device according to claim 11, The plurality of image data are generated by an imaging device, The processor controls the imaging device to generate image data including a number of subjects based on a number of subjects included in the first image data.

15. The display control device according to claim 7, The processor selects the second image data based on a position of a subject included in the first image data.

16. The display control device according to claim 15, The processor selects, as the second image data, the image data in which the position of the subject is different from that of the subject included in the first image data.

17. The display control device according to claim 2, the plurality of image data are generated by a plurality of imaging devices, The processor selects the second image data based on an imaging device that captured the first image data.

18. The display control device according to claim 17, The processor selects, as the second image data, image data captured by an imaging device other than an imaging device that captured the first image data.

19. The display control device according to claim 18, The plurality of image data includes video data, The processor selects third image data from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion; the image data group is a set of the third image data corresponding to the same area information, Further, the processor When the third image data constituting the video data is selected as the first image data, the display control device selects image data included in the video data as the second image data.

20. 20. The display control device according to claim 19, The processor controls playback of video data including the first image data and video data including the second image data.

21. The display control device according to claim 20, The processor controls the display control device so that, when the second image data is selected, the video data is played from the capture time of the second image data onwards, and, when the first image data is selected, the video data is played from the beginning.

22. A display control device according to claim 21, The processor selects third image data from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion; the image data group is a set of the third image data corresponding to the same area information, The processor, performing control to display, on the display, the first image data, the second image data, and the third image data included in any one of the plurality of image data groups corresponding to different pieces of area information; A display control device that performs control so that a difference in the number of the third image data to be displayed on the display for each of the image data groups is equal to or smaller than a threshold value.

23. A display control device according to claim 21, The processor selects third image data from the plurality of image data based on a second criterion; the image data group is a set of the third image data corresponding to the same area information, The processor, A display control device that performs control to keep the difference between the number of third image data included in the image data group corresponding to first area information and the number of third image data included in the image data group corresponding to second area information below a threshold value.

24. A display control device according to claim 23, The processor, selecting the third image data from the image data corresponding to the first area information based on a third criterion; selecting the third image data from the image data group corresponding to the second area information based on a fourth criterion; The display control device performs control to make the difference equal to or less than a threshold by changing one or both of the third criterion and the fourth criterion.

25. A display control device according to claim 24, The processor, A display control device that performs control to display the first image data on the display.

26. A processor and a memory, The processor, Acquire a plurality of image data; Controlling to display a first image data among the plurality of image data on a display; A display control device that performs control to display at least one image data from the plurality of image data as second image data on the display based on a state of a subject included in the first image data.

27. A processor and a memory, The processor, Get multiple image files, acquiring area information that is information about an area related to the image file; An image file management device that performs control to classify the plurality of image files based on the area information.

28. Acquire a plurality of image data; acquiring area information that is information about an area related to the image data; selecting a first image data from an image data group, which is a set of the image data corresponding to the same area information, based on a first criterion; A display control method for controlling display of at least one image data of the image data group as second image data on a display based on the first image data.

29. Acquire a plurality of image data; acquiring area information that is information about an area related to the image data; selecting a first image data from an image data group, which is a set of the image data corresponding to the same area information, based on a first criterion; A display control program that causes a processor to execute a control step of displaying at least one image data of the image data group as second image data on a display based on the first image data.