JP2012093950A - Image generation system, portable information terminal, image generation method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance attraction of information and data corresponding to a location of a portable information terminal and evoke a user's interest by enabling a creation of a commemorative photograph even if a picture was not taken by the user at a place that the user visited.SOLUTION: A portable information terminal 1 acquires a scenery photographic image P1 of a scenery corresponding to an area where the terminal 1 is located at the time via a radio communication network, while the terminal 1 moves. The terminal 1 creates a processed image P3 where a subject of an image P2 is arranged as a foreground of the scenery of the image P1 by combing each of the acquired multiple scenery photographic images P1 with the image P2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable portable information terminal having a wireless communication function, and more particularly to a technique for generating still image data including a landscape image corresponding to the position of a portable terminal.

  Portable portable information terminals with wireless communication functions, such as mobile phone terminals such as feature phones and smartphones, music player terminals with wireless communication functions, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), digital cameras with wireless communication functions, etc. Is popular. Some of these portable information terminals have a camera function and a position information acquisition function, and position information is used as metadata of a captured image by the camera. For the acquisition of the position information, position measurement using a radio wave from a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a wireless LAN (Local Access Network) access point (referred to as WiFi positioning) is used. By associating the captured image with the position information, cooperation with map data is facilitated. For example, a map API (Application Programming Interface) provided on the Internet is used to generate a map in which captured images are superimposed on a point corresponding to a shooting location.

  Patent Document 1 describes an image processing technique for synthesizing a face image cut out from a person image with a landscape photograph image obtained by photographing a building or a landscape. More specifically, the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs face recognition processing on a person image, and converts the face image cut out from the person image into a decorative image (an image corresponding to a human body part). A first image composition to be applied is performed, and a second image composition is performed to superimpose a person image obtained by the first image composition on a landscape photograph image.

  Patent Document 2 describes a technique for transmitting information such as an advertisement corresponding to the position of a mobile phone terminal to the mobile phone terminal. More specifically, the system disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a receiving device that is disposed in a store such as a store or a restaurant, and that can receive radio waves transmitted from a mobile phone terminal. The system disclosed in Patent Document 2 identifies the mobile phone terminal by detecting the telephone number from the radio wave of the mobile phone terminal received by the receiving device, and stores or regions where the receiving device is arranged. The advertisement information corresponding to is sent to an e-mail address that can be received by the specified mobile phone terminal.

  In addition, there is a service in which a mobile phone terminal periodically sends location information to a server, and in response to the terminal entering a specific area, store information and traffic information related to that area are sent from the server to the mobile phone terminal. It has been put into practical use.

  Patent Document 3 describes a digital camera that acquires place name information corresponding to a shooting location, and a photo frame adapted to the shooting location from a server, and combines the acquired location name information and a frame with a shot image. Patent Document 3 describes that a user can select whether or not to perform image composition with a photographed image using place name information or foframe acquired from a server.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a digital camera with a wireless function that synthesizes a partial image corresponding to a part of a captured image (compositing target extracted from a captured image based on predetermined color information) with a photo frame image acquired from a server. Are listed. Patent Document 4 describes that an image acquired by a digital camera from a server is an image specific to a wireless access point, and cannot be acquired without going to a theme park, for example.

JP 2002-288532 A JP 2010-183317 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-221753 JP 2010-118825 A

  As disclosed in Patent Document 2, a technique for transmitting information / data corresponding to the position of a portable information terminal to the portable information terminal is known. Users can obtain various information everywhere they go by acting with a portable information terminal. However, there is a problem that simply transmitting information is not sufficient to stimulate the user's interest. If it does not evoke the user's interest, the information is buried in many other information, and the opportunity for the user to view it is reduced.

  In Patent Documents 3 and 4, a terminal such as a digital camera with a wireless function acquires place name information or a photo frame image corresponding to a place where the terminal is located from a server, and the place name information or the photo frame image is obtained from the server. It discloses that it is combined with a photographed image by a digital camera. However, Patent Documents 3 and 4 only disclose that the photographed image captured by the user with the digital camera is “processed” using the place name information or the photo frame image acquired from the server. That is, Patent Documents 3 and 4 obtain a landscape photo image in which a landscape such as a building or a landscape corresponding to a place where the terminal is located from a server according to the movement of the terminal, and the landscape photo image and a user, etc. Nothing is disclosed about creating so-called “commemorative photos” for the purpose of recording travel and the like by synthesizing images of subjects. Therefore, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, operations other than photography (for example, telephone calls, mail creation, etc.) are performed on the portable information terminal, or the user simply takes a picture. When the user does not take a picture due to some reason such as forgetting, a commemorative photo of the place visited by the user cannot be provided.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-mentioned knowledge by the inventor, and enables creation of a commemorative photo even when a photograph is not taken by a user's operation at a place visited by the user. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image generation system, a portable information terminal, an image generation method, and a computer program capable of improving the attractiveness of information and data corresponding to the position of the portable information terminal and arousing the interest of the user .

  A first aspect of the present invention relates to an image generation system. The system is configured to acquire first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to an area where the portable information terminal is located from the image distribution system according to the movement of the terminal. Further, the system combines each of the acquired plurality of first image data with second image data, whereby a plurality of objects in the second image data are arranged as a foreground of the landscape. It is configured to generate a third image.

  A second aspect of the present invention relates to a portable information terminal. The portable information terminal includes a data acquisition unit, an image processing unit, and a display unit. The data acquisition unit acquires first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to an area where the terminal is located is captured via the wireless communication network according to movement of the terminal. The image processing unit combines each of the acquired plurality of first image data with second image data, thereby a plurality of objects in which the subject of the second image data is arranged as a foreground of the landscape. A third image is generated. The display unit can visually display each of the plurality of third image data.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to an image generation method. The image generation method includes the following steps (a) and (b).
(A) acquiring first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to an area where the portable information terminal is located is acquired from the image distribution system according to the movement of the terminal; and (b) a plurality of acquired Each of the first image data is combined with the second image data, thereby generating a plurality of third images in which the subject of the second image data is arranged as the foreground of the landscape.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program. The said program is a program for making a computer perform the image generation method concerning the 3rd aspect of this invention mentioned above.

  According to each aspect of the present invention described above, it is possible to create a commemorative photo even when a photograph is not taken by a user's operation at a place visited by the user, thereby supporting the position of the portable information terminal. It is possible to provide an image generation system, a portable information terminal, an image generation method, and a computer program that can improve the attractiveness of the information and data and can stimulate the interest of the user.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the image generation system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation procedure of the processed image by the image production | generation system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the processed image produced | generated by the image production | generation system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the processed image produced | generated by the image production | generation system shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the network arrangement | positioning containing the portable information terminal which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, and the structural example of a portable information terminal. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the processed image produced | generated by the portable information terminal shown in FIG. It is a table | surface which shows the specific example of the character string displayed on a process image. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example in the case of comprising the portable information terminal shown in FIG. 5 using a computer system. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of the network arrangement | positioning containing the portable information terminal which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of the network arrangement | positioning containing the portable information terminal which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the network arrangement | positioning containing the portable information terminal which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention, and the structural example of a portable information terminal. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of the network arrangement | positioning containing the portable information terminal which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention, and the structural example of a portable information terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation procedure of the processed image which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the process image produced | generated by the portable information terminal shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted as necessary for clarification of the description.

<Embodiment 1 of the Invention>
A configuration example of an image generation system 1000 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. The image generation system 1000 includes a data acquisition unit 11, an image processing unit 12, and a person image storage unit 13. The data acquisition unit 11 acquires a landscape photograph image P1 corresponding to the area where the portable information terminal 1 is located from the image distribution system 2 as the terminal 1 moves. The transmission of the landscape photograph image P1 from the image distribution system 2 to the data acquisition unit 11 may be performed by a push operation triggered by the image distribution system 2 recognizing the current position of the terminal 1 or an image distribution area. It may be performed by a pull operation triggered by the fact that the terminal 1 has detected that it is within.

  As will be described later, the data acquisition unit 11 may acquire metadata D1 related to the landscape photograph image P1. The metadata D1 may include the name of the area where the landscape photograph image P1 was shot, shooting position information, and weather information (weather, temperature, etc.) of the area at the time of image distribution. Further, the metadata D1 may include information for designating the arrangement, enlargement / reduction ratio, and the like of the person image P2 when the processed image P3 is generated.

  The image processing unit 12 combines the landscape photograph image P1 acquired by the data acquisition unit 11 and the person image P2 held in the person image storage unit 13 to generate a processed image P3. Specifically, the image processing unit 12 generates a processed image P3 in which a subject photographed in the person image P2, that is, a person image, is arranged as a foreground of a landscape photographed in the landscape photograph image P1. The overlapping position of the person image P2 with the landscape photograph image P1 may be a predetermined position (for example, the center of the landscape photograph image P1), or an arrangement specified by the metadata D1 may be applied. Note that a well-known image processing technique may be applied to the overlay synthesis by the image processing unit 12, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The person image storage unit 13 stores a person image P2. The person image storage unit 13 is, for example, an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a flash memory, or a hard disk drive. For example, the person image P2 may be an image acquired in advance by a camera function (not shown) of the portable information terminal 1. A user of the portable information terminal 1 operates the portable information terminal 1 to select a person image P2 to be registered in the image generation system 1000 from a group of previously captured images, and the selected person image P2 is selected from the image generation system. Send and register to 1000.

  The image generation system 1000 transmits the generated processed image P3 to the portable information terminal 1 so as to be browsed by the user of the portable information terminal 1.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the procedure for generating the processed image P3 by the image generation system 1000. In step S101, the data acquisition unit 11 acquires a landscape photograph image P1 of an area where the terminal 1 is located from the distribution system 2 according to the terminal movement. In step S102, the image processing unit 12 generates a processed image P3 by superimposing and synthesizing the person image P2 as the foreground of the landscape photograph included in the landscape photograph image P1.

  Subsequently, a specific example of the processed image P3 generated by the portable information terminal 1 will be described below. In the first example shown in FIG. 3, the processed image P3 is generated by superimposing the person image P2 on the landscape photograph image P1.

  The processed image P3 according to the second example illustrated in FIG. 4 further includes a display of characters, symbols, graphics, or a combination of information included in the metadata D1 acquired from the distribution system 2. Specifically, the place name indicating the area, the weather at the time of distribution, and the temperature included in the metadata D1 are displayed by characters and symbols. Note that the time display in the processed image of FIG. 4 may be generated using time information acquired from the clock function of the image generation system 1000, or time information (for example, distribution time) included in the metadata D1. ) May be used.

  According to the image generation system 1000 according to the present embodiment, the user of the portable information terminal 1 can view the scenery on the route on which he / she moved without operating the portable information terminal 1 to actively take a picture. And a processed image P3 including a person image (typically an image of the user himself / herself) can be obtained. In other words, according to the present embodiment, the user has performed other operations (for example, telephone calls, mail creation, etc.) on the terminal 1, or the user simply forgot to take a photo. Even if a photograph is not taken for some reason, it is possible to provide a commemorative photo of the place where the user has visited. Further, the user can enjoy the pleasure of confirming his / her action history by browsing the processed image P3. In other words, it is possible to improve the attractiveness of information and data corresponding to the position of the portable information terminal and to stimulate the interest of the user by obtaining the processed image P3 in which the image of himself / herself is reflected instead of just a landscape photograph. I can expect.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, there is a possibility that the user can automatically obtain attractive scenery photos and area information that he / she did not notice. For example, the user can expect to find new discoveries and information by browsing the processed image P3 in which a facility, a store, or the like that he / she does not know is photographed. In addition, it is possible to improve the attractiveness of information and data corresponding to the position of the portable information terminal and to stimulate the user's interest by obtaining the processed image P3 in which the image of himself / herself is reflected instead of just a landscape photograph. I can expect.

  In the above description, a so-called commemorative photo is automatically created by synthesizing a person photo (image P2) with a landscape photo image P1. However, the image combined with the landscape photo image P1 is not limited to a portrait. For example, a photographic image of an animal (a pet or the like kept by a user), a photographic image of a vehicle (a car or bicycle owned by the user), a graphic image representing a person, or the like may be used.

  Further, the physical arrangement of the image generation system 1000 is not particularly limited. For example, at least some of the data acquisition unit 11, the image processing unit 12, and the person image storage unit 13 may be arranged in the portable information terminal 1. Further, the image generation system 1000 may be disposed in a computer system connected to the portable information terminal 1 and the distribution system 12 via a communication network.

  The functions of the data acquisition unit 11 and the image processing unit 12 described in the present embodiment may be realized by causing a computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microprocessor to execute one or more programs. .

  These programs can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media and supplied to a computer. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (for example, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / W and semiconductor memory (for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)) are included. The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

  Modifications of the communication control system 100 described in this embodiment will be described in detail in Embodiments 2 to 4 described below.

<Embodiment 2 of the Invention>
In the present embodiment, a specific example in which the functions of the image generation system 1000 described in the first embodiment of the invention are arranged in the portable information terminal 1 will be described. FIG. 5 shows a network arrangement example including the portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment and a configuration example of the portable information terminal 1. The portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment can be connected to the communication network 3 by the wireless communication function, and can communicate with the image distribution system 2 via the communication network 3. The communication network 3 is a data transfer network such as an IP (Internet Protocol) network, and includes, for example, a radio access network and a packet core network of a mobile phone operator, and the Internet. The communication network 3 may include a wireless LAN. Further, the communication network 3 may include a network based on short-range wireless communication technology using weak wireless radio waves, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identifications), Bluetooth, and the like.

  The image distribution system 2 holds a plurality of landscape photographic images related to a plurality of areas, and transmits a landscape photographic image P1 that is a landscape photographic image obtained by photographing a building / landscape in the area where the terminal 1 is located, over the network 3. Can be transmitted to the terminal 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the image distribution system 2 may be arranged such that one server 20 is arranged for a plurality of areas, and the server 20 manages and transmits landscape photograph images P1 of the plurality of areas. Further, the image distribution system 2 may include a plurality of servers, each of which is arranged in association with one area.

  The portable information terminal 1 acquires the landscape photo image P1 corresponding to the area where the mobile information terminal 1 is located from the distribution system 2 as the terminal 1 moves, and synthesizes the person image P2 held in the terminal 1 with the landscape photo image P1. Thus, the processed image P3 is generated. The person image P2 is typically an image of a person photograph taken of the user of the terminal 1, but may be a photograph of a family / friend of the user of the terminal 1 or a group photograph of a plurality of persons. Below, the structure and operation | movement detail of the portable information terminal 1 are demonstrated in order.

  In FIG. 5, the wireless communication unit 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the image distribution system 2 via the communication network 3. The wireless communication unit 10 conforms to a known wireless communication system such as RFID, Bluetooth, wireless LAN, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access), E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA), etc. A transceiver may be used.

  The data acquisition unit 11 acquires the landscape photograph image P1 from the image distribution system 2 via the wireless communication unit 10. The data acquisition unit 11 may acquire metadata D1 related to the landscape photograph image P1. The image processing unit 12 combines the landscape photograph image P1 acquired by the data acquisition unit 11 and the person image P2 held in the person image storage unit 13 to generate a processed image P3. Since the data acquisition unit 11 and the image processing unit 12 have been described in the first embodiment of the invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The person image storage unit 13 stores a person image P2. The person image P2 may be an image acquired in advance by a camera function (not shown) of the portable information terminal 1 or from the outside via an external connection interface (not shown) of the portable information terminal 1 or the wireless communication unit 10. It may be a supplied image.

  The display unit 14 includes, for example, a visual display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and a display control unit that controls display of the device. The display unit 14 can visually display the processed image P3. The display unit 14 may display a plurality of processed images P3 as a slide show along with the shooting time series together with other shot images, for example. The display unit 14 may display the processed image P3 at a point corresponding to the shooting position on the map image using shooting position information held as metadata. According to these displays, it is possible to visually display the action history of the user of the terminal 1.

  Subsequently, a specific example of the processed image P3 generated by the portable information terminal 1 will be described below. The portable information terminal 1 may generate the processed image P3 as shown in FIGS. Moreover, the portable information terminal 1 may reflect the operation content of the portable information terminal 3 in the processed image P3. The specific example of the processed image P3 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a display regarding the operation contents of the user with respect to the terminal 1 when the landscape photograph image P1 is acquired. In the example of FIG. 6, it is displayed that the call was “on the phone”. In addition to the display of FIG. 6, the name of the telephone partner may be displayed. The name of the other party may be acquired from contact data (phone book data, address book data) of the portable information terminal. A character string, a symbol, or the like displayed as the operation content of the user may be set by the user operating the terminal 1.

  FIG. 7 is a list showing the correspondence between the operation content of the portable information terminal 1 and the character string displayed on the processed image P3. For example, when the operation content of the terminal 1 is “composing mail”, a character string indicating that the mail was written is displayed. For example, when the operation content of the terminal 1 is “confirming mail”, a character string indicating that the mail has been read is displayed. Note that the name of the mail destination or sender may also be displayed for the mail creation and confirmation operations. The name of the mail destination or sender may be obtained by comparing the mail destination address or sender address with the contact data.

  Next, FIG. 8 shows a specific configuration example when the mobile information terminal 1 is a mobile phone terminal. The wireless communication unit 105 performs wireless communication with the base station. The speaker 106 and the microphone 107 are used for voice calls, videophones, and the like. The camera 108 acquires a still image or a moving image. The display 109 is an image display device, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. An OS (Operating System) 103 and an image generation application program 104 stored in a nonvolatile storage unit 102 (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk drive) are loaded into a RAM (Random Access Memory) 101. When the CPU 100 executes the image generation application program 104 loaded in the RAM 101, the functions of the data acquisition unit 11 and the image processing unit 12 are realized.

  In addition, in order to be able to selectively transmit the landscape photograph image P1 corresponding to the distribution area where the terminal 1 is located, the image distribution system 2 or the data acquisition unit 11 is in the predetermined distribution area. Need to be able to recognize that Hereinafter, a specific configuration example for recognizing that the terminal 1 has reached a predetermined distribution area will be described.

  FIG. 9 shows a modification of the network arrangement example shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 9, the portable information terminal 1 has a position information acquisition unit 15. The position information acquisition unit 15 detects the current position of the terminal 1 and generates position information indicating the current position. The detection of the current position by the position information acquisition unit 15 may be performed using any of various known methods. For example, the position information acquisition unit 15 may have a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and detect the current position by the GPS receiver. Further, the position information acquisition unit 15 may perform position detection by collating reception results of wireless signals from a plurality of wireless LAN access points with a database that records the arrangement of wireless access points. The generated position information is transmitted to the distribution system 2. The terminal 1 should just transmit position information regularly with a predetermined period. The distribution system 2 monitors the current position of the terminal 1 using the position information received from the terminal 1, and in response to the terminal 1 reaching a predetermined distribution area associated with the landscape photo image P1, The photographic image P1 may be transmitted to the terminal 1.

  Further, the arrival of the terminal 1 in a predetermined distribution area associated with the landscape photograph image P1 may be detected using a radio station installed in each distribution area. Specifically, it is only necessary to detect that the terminal 1 has reached a predetermined distribution area when the wireless station receives a wireless signal transmitted from the terminal 1. In this case, the terminal 1 may not have the position information acquisition unit 15. Further, in response to detecting that the portable information terminal 1 is located within the coverage area of a specific wireless station, the data acquisition unit 11 may access the server 20 and acquire the landscape photograph image P1. The location within the coverage area of a specific radio station may be determined based on a radio station identifier included in the transmission signal of the radio station. Specific examples of the wireless station arranged in the distribution area are a wireless LAN access point, a femtocell base station, and an RFID reader / writer. Here, the femtocell base station is a small-sized mobile phone base station whose coverage area is narrower than that of a normal mobile phone base station (macrocell base station). A typical coverage area of a femtocell base station is about several tens to several hundreds of meters. The femtocell base station is called Home NodeB (HNB) in W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and Home eNodeB (HeNB) in E-UTRA.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which wireless stations 4A, 4B, and 4C are arranged in the distribution areas 5A, 5B, and 5C, respectively. In the example of FIG. 10, servers 20 </ b> A, 20 </ b> B, and 20 </ b> C are used as the distribution system 2. Servers 20A, 20B, and 20C are connected to radio stations 4A, 4B, and 4C, respectively. The wireless station 4A notifies the server 20A that the portable information terminal 1 is within the coverage area of the wireless station 4A, and the server 20A transmits the landscape photograph image P1 related to the distribution area 5A to the terminal 1 in response to the notification. . The same applies to the radio stations 4B and 4C. The radio stations 4A to 4C and the servers 5A to 5C are arranged, for example, in sightseeing spots, sightseeing facilities, stores, and the like.

<Third Embodiment of the Invention>
In the present embodiment, a modification of the above-described second embodiment of the invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a network arrangement example including the portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment and a configuration example of the portable information terminal 1. The portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment holds a plurality of human image candidates in the storage unit 13, and selects one image from the plurality of candidates as an image P2 to be combined with the landscape photo image P1. . The image selection unit 16 shown in FIG. 11 performs the selection process. First and second examples of image selection by the image selection unit 16 will be described below.

(First example of image selection)
The image selection unit 16 randomly selects one arbitrary image from a plurality of human image candidates as the image P2. By making a random selection, the user does not know which person image is selected until the processed image P3 is viewed. For this reason, it is possible to give a motivation to prompt the user to view the processed image P3.

(Second example of image selection)
The image selection unit 16 has a plurality of images based on at least one of date, time, day of the week, weather, and temperature when the landscape photograph image P1 is distributed or when the terminal 1 is located in the corresponding distribution area. The image P2 is selected from the person image candidates. Information such as date, time, day of the week, weather, and temperature may be acquired using a clock function and a communication function built in the terminal 1. These pieces of information may be supplied from the distribution system 2 as metadata D1. The user's clothes and belongings change according to the season (spring, summer, autumn and winter), the month (January to December), the day of the week (weekdays, holidays), the weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy), etc. A plurality of person image candidates may be prepared. And the image selection part 16 should just select the person image suitable for the content of the landscape photograph image P1. In this case, the distribution system 2 holds a plurality of landscape photo image candidates, and transmits a landscape photo image P1 to be transmitted to the terminal 1 based on the date, time, day of the week, weather, temperature, and the like at the time of transmission. It is good to choose. Thereby, the processed image P3 reflecting the climate and weather when the user and the terminal 1 are located in the distribution area can be created. That is, the reality of the processed image P3 can be improved, and the attractiveness of information / data corresponding to the position of the portable information terminal can be further improved.

<Embodiment 4 of the Invention>
In the present embodiment, modified examples of the above-described second and third embodiments of the invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a network arrangement including portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment and a configuration example of portable information terminal 1. The portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment has a camera function unit 17. The captured image P4 obtained by the camera function unit 17 is stored in the captured image storage unit 18. The captured image storage unit 18 and the person image storage unit 13 may be separate storage areas of a physically integrated storage device. In the present embodiment, the image processing unit 12 determines whether or not to generate the processed image P3 according to the presence or absence of the captured image P4 by the camera function unit 17. More specifically, the image processing unit 12 according to the present embodiment does not generate the processed image P3 when the captured image P4 captured in the distribution area exists.

  A specific example of the process image generation procedure according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the procedure shown in FIG. 13 is merely an example, and may be modified as appropriate. In step S301, both the acquisition flag and the shooting flag are set to zero. Here, the acquisition flag is flag information indicating whether or not the landscape photograph image P1 and the metadata D1 are acquired from the distribution system 2. The shooting flag is flag information indicating whether or not the captured image P4 is generated by the camera function unit 17.

  In step S302, the image processing unit 12 determines whether or not the landscape photograph image P1 and the metadata D1 have been acquired in the distribution area. When P1 and D1 are acquired, the value of the acquisition flag is changed to 1 (step S303). In step S304, the image processing unit 12 determines whether there is a captured image P4 captured in this distribution area. If P4 has been acquired, the value of the shooting flag is changed to 1 (step S305).

  In step S307 and subsequent steps, the process branches according to the states of the acquisition flag and the shooting flag (step S306). When the value of the acquisition flag is 1 and the value of the shooting flag is 2, the image processing unit 12 generates the processed image P3 as described in the first or second embodiment (step S307).

  Next, when the value of the shooting flag is 1, the image processing unit 12 does not generate the processed image P3 using the landscape photograph image P1. In the example of FIG. 13, the image processing unit 12 generates a processed image P5 using the captured image P4. If the value of the shooting flag is 1 and the value of the acquisition flag is 1 (YES in step S308), the image processing unit 12 captures information (for example, area name, weather, temperature, etc.) included in the metadata D1. The processed image P5 is generated by combining with the image P4 (step S309). The image processing unit 12 may further display other information (for example, shooting date and time) that can be acquired in the terminal 1 on the processed image P5. Furthermore, the image processing unit 12 may display on the processed image P5 the operation content of the terminal 1, that is, the fact that photography has been performed.

  FIG. 14 shows a specific example of the processed image P5 generated in step S309. In the processed image P5 shown in FIG. 14, the place name indicating the area included in the metadata D1, the weather and temperature at the time of distribution are displayed by characters and symbols. Further, in the processed image P5 shown in FIG. 14, “photographing has been performed” is displayed as a record of the user's behavior.

  Returning to FIG. When the value of the shooting flag is 1 and the value of the acquisition flag is 0 (NO in step S308), the image processing unit 12 synthesizes information (for example, shooting date and time) that can be acquired in the terminal 1 with the shot image P4. Thus, the processed image P5 is generated. When both the acquisition flag and the shooting flag are zero, the image processing unit 12 does not generate the processed images P3 and P5.

  In Steps S308 and S309, when there are a plurality of photographed images P4 corresponding to the distribution area, the processed image P5 may be generated for an arbitrary part, or all of the plurality of photographed images P4 are processed. The image P5 may be generated.

  The display unit 14 according to the present embodiment may display the processed image P3 and the captured image P4 (or the processed image P5) as a slide show in time series. Thereby, the user can browse the record regarding his / her series of actions, and can further arouse the user's interest.

<Other embodiments>
In the fourth embodiment of the invention, an example in which generation of the processed image P3 is stopped when the captured image P4 exists is shown. However, the terminal 1 generates the processed image P3 regardless of the presence or absence of the captured image P4. Also good. In this case, the display unit 14 may select an image to be displayed. For example, the display unit 14 may display the captured image P4 without displaying the processed image P3 when the captured image P4 is present, and may display the processed image P3 as an alternative when there is no captured image P4.

  Embodiments 3 and 4 of the invention have been described as modifications of embodiment 2 of the invention. However, the person image selection process described in the third embodiment, the process of controlling the generation of the processed image P3 described in the fourth embodiment based on the presence or absence of the captured image P4, and the like are arranged outside the portable information terminal 1. May be executed by the generated image generation system 1000.

  The image processing unit 12 described in the first to fourth embodiments of the invention described above may generate the person image P2 by performing image processing that extracts (cuts out) a person portion from the captured image held by the terminal 1. Good. This extraction process (cutout process) may be performed in response to a user operation for specifying a person range in a captured image. In this case, the person image P2 generated by performing the extraction process may be stored in the storage unit 13 in advance. In addition, this extraction process (cutout process) may be automatically performed by the image processing unit 12 using a known face recognition process.

  In the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention described above, the image processing unit 12 may generate the image P6 associated with the processed image P3 separately from the processed image P3. The image P6 may be an image indicating information related to the distribution area, for example, an advertisement (name, contact information, discount coupon) that guides a store located in the distribution area. Information necessary for generating the image P6 may be transmitted from the distribution system 2 to the terminal 1.

  In the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention described above, the terminal 1 may upload the processed image P3, the captured image P4, and the processed image P5 to the shared server. The shared server stores information uploaded from the terminal so that it can be viewed among a plurality of users.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention described above.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C Mobile information terminal 2 Image distribution system 3 Communication networks 4A, 4B, 4C Wireless stations 5A, 5B, 5C Distribution area 10 Wireless communication unit 11 Data acquisition unit 12 Image processing unit 13 Human image storage unit 14 Display Unit 15 Position information acquisition unit 16 Image selection unit 17 Camera function unit 18 Captured image storage unit 20, 20A, 20B, 20C Server 104 Image generation application program 1000 Image generation system P1 Landscape photo image P2 Person image P3 Processed image P4 Captured image P5 Processed image D1 metadata

Claims (30)

Data acquisition means for acquiring first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to the area where the portable information terminal is located is acquired from the image distribution system according to the movement of the terminal;
Each of the plurality of acquired first image data is combined with second image data to generate a plurality of third images in which the subject of the second image data is arranged as the foreground of the landscape Image processing means,
An image generation system comprising:   The image processing means stores the operation content of the terminal when the terminal is located in an area associated with the first image data in association with the third image data. The image generation system described in 1.   The image generation system according to claim 2, wherein the operation content is associated with the third image data by including a display of a character, a symbol, or a graphic indicating the operation content in the third image data.   The image generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second image data is image data including a human photograph taken in advance outside the area.   The image generation system according to claim 1, further comprising an image selection unit that selects any one of a plurality of candidate image data as the second image data.   Based on at least one of date, time, day of the week, weather, and temperature when the terminal is located in the area associated with the first image data, the first image data is selected from a plurality of candidate image data. The image generation system according to claim 1, further comprising image selection means for selecting two image data.   The image processing means cuts out a partial image corresponding to the person from the second image data, and generates the third image data by superposing and combining the partial image with the background image data. The image generation system according to any one of 1 to 6.   The image generation system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition unit and the image processing unit are arranged in the portable information terminal. The image distribution system includes:
A plurality of radio stations arranged in each of a plurality of distribution areas;
At least one server device connected to each of the plurality of wireless stations;
With
The data acquisition means, when the terminal is located in any of the plurality of distribution areas, transmits a radio signal including an identifier of the terminal to the radio station related to any of the distribution areas, The image generation system according to claim 8, wherein the first image data related to a distribution area is received from the wireless station.   The image generation system according to claim 9, wherein the wireless station is a wireless local area network (LAN) access point or a femtocell base station. A portable information terminal,
Data acquisition means for acquiring first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to an area where the terminal is located is captured via a wireless communication network according to the movement of the terminal;
Each of the plurality of acquired first image data is combined with second image data to generate a plurality of third images in which the subject of the second image data is arranged as the foreground of the landscape Image processing means,
Display means capable of visually displaying each of the plurality of third image data;
A portable information terminal comprising:   The image processing means stores the operation content of the terminal when the terminal is located in an area associated with the first image data in association with the third image data. The portable information terminal described in 1. The association between the operation content and the third image data is performed by including a display of characters, symbols or figures indicating the operation content in the third image data,
The display means displays the third image data in which characters, symbols, or figures indicating the operation content are combined.
The portable information terminal according to claim 12.   The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the second image data is image data including a human photograph taken in advance outside the area.   The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising image selection means for selecting any one of a plurality of candidate image data as the second image data.   Based on at least one of date, time, day of the week, weather, and temperature when the terminal is located in the area associated with the first image data, the first image data is selected from a plurality of candidate image data. The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising image selection means for selecting two image data. And further comprising a camera and storage means for storing an image taken by the camera,
The image processing means generates the third image data when the fourth image data photographed by the camera in the area associated with the first image data exists in the storage means. The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 16. The data acquisition means acquires metadata including area information regarding the area via the wireless communication network,
The image processing means generates the third image data including display of characters, symbols or figures indicating the area information;
The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 17. The data acquisition means acquires metadata including area information regarding the area via the wireless communication network,
The image processing means generates fifth image data by synthesizing the display of characters, symbols or figures indicating the area information with the fourth image data,
The display means can visually display the fifth image data.
The portable information terminal according to claim 17. The data acquisition means acquires metadata including area information regarding the area via the wireless communication network,
The image processing means includes display of characters, symbols, or figures indicating the area information, and generates sixth image data associated with the third image data.
The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 17.   The image processing means cuts out a partial image corresponding to the person from the second image data, and generates the third image data by superposing and combining the partial image with the background image data. The portable information terminal according to any one of 11 to 20.   The mobile device according to any one of claims 11 to 21, wherein the data acquisition unit transmits position information of the terminal to a server and receives the first image data corresponding to the position information from the server. Information terminal.   The data acquisition means transmits a radio signal including the identifier of the terminal to a radio station arranged in the area, and receives the first image data related to the area in which the radio station is arranged, from the radio station. The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 11 to 21. Acquiring first image data including a landscape photograph in which a landscape corresponding to the area where the portable information terminal is located from the image distribution system according to the movement of the terminal; and the plurality of acquired first image data Generating a plurality of third images in which the subject of the second image data is arranged as a foreground of the landscape,
An image generation method comprising:   The operation content of the terminal when the terminal is located in an area associated with the first image data is further stored in association with the third image data. Image generation method.   26. The image generation method according to claim 25, wherein the operation content and the third image data are associated by including a display of a character, symbol, or figure indicating the operation content in the third image data.   27. The image generation method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the second image data is image data including a human photograph taken in advance outside the area.   27. The image generation method according to claim 24, further comprising selecting any one of a plurality of candidate image data as the second image data.   Based on at least one of date, time, day of the week, weather, and temperature when the terminal is located in the area associated with the first image data, the first image data is selected from a plurality of candidate image data. 27. The image generation method according to claim 24, further comprising selecting two image data.   A computer program for causing a computer to execute the image generation method according to any one of claims 24 to 29.

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