JP4162477B2 - Image capturing apparatus, article information adding method to article file, and article information adding program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus that generates an image file including information related to an article in a photographed image, an article information adding method to the image file, and an article information adding program.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When an image is taken by a photographing apparatus such as a digital camera, an image file including image data is recorded on the memory card. The format of the image file includes, for example, the Exif standard. In the standard, in addition to image data, attached information such as shooting conditions such as shooting date and time and shutter speed is recorded in a tag format. The tag recording location is divided for each IFD (Image File Directory), and the tag is recorded in each IFD.
[0003]
FIG. 5 shows a conventional data structure of an Exif format image file. As shown in the figure, an Exif format image file has areas such as an image data area and an attached information area. The attached information area is configured to have IFDs, and each IFD stores each setting by a tag.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-35827
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the attached information included in the image file generated as a result of photographing using a conventional photographing apparatus does not include information regarding the contents of the photographed image. For this reason, for example, in an automatic warehouse system, even if an article (including packaging of an article) stored in the warehouse is photographed, it is not known what article was photographed unless the photographed image is viewed. . Therefore, in order not to bother to view the photographed image, a database relating to the photographed article is provided separately from the database of the image file, and the image file and the article data are associated with each other. That is, since the automatic warehouse system requires at least two databases, there is room for improvement in terms of cost reduction, structure simplification, and shelf management simplification.
[0006]
In addition, a bar code or a serial code for identifying an article is usually attached to an article (including an article packaging) photographed in the system. For this reason, the captured image includes a barcode, a serial code, etc. as an image for each article. Therefore, if the item information obtained from the image such as the barcode is included in the Exif standard attached information, the shelf status can be managed by referring to the attached information of each image file. The database relating to the above-described article becomes unnecessary.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and is a photographing apparatus capable of generating an image file including information on an article in a photographed image, an article information adding method to the image file, and an article information addition. The purpose is to provide a program.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a photographing apparatus according to the present invention includes photographing means for photographing an image, image data of a photographed image photographed by the photographing means and including an article and identification information of the article, and the photographing. Image file temporary storage means for temporarily storing an image file composed of attached information related to the image, and identifying the identification information included in the captured image to identify the article information of the article included in the captured image and an article identification means, the additional information of the image files stored in the image file temporary storage unit, identified by the article identification device, the image file editing means for adding the article information of an article contained in the captured image And.
[0009]
Therefore, it is possible to generate an image file including information (article information) related to the article in the captured image. For this reason, in the mode in which the attached information is displayed together with the image, the user can refer to the article information together with the image. Further, since the image data and the article information are managed in one file, the number of databases may be one. Therefore, cost reduction, simplification of structure and simplification of management can be realized.
[0010]
In addition, the method for adding article information to an image file according to the present invention temporarily stores an image file composed of image data of a photographed image including the article and identification information of the article and attached information regarding the photographed image. An image file temporary storage step, an article identification step for recognizing the identification information included in the photographed image and identifying article information of an article included in the photographed image, and the image file temporary storage step stored in the image file temporary storage step the additional information of the image file, the article identified by the identification step, and a, and an image file editing step of adding an article information of an article contained in the captured image.
[0011]
Furthermore, an article information addition program according to the present invention is for causing a computer to execute the article information addition method for an image file according to claim 2.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the photographing apparatus and the method for adding article information to an image file according to the present invention will be described in detail. However, the article information adding program according to the present invention is a program for executing the article information adding method. Therefore, the description is included in the following description of the article information addition method.
[0013]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment showing a configuration of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 101 corresponding to the imaging unit in the claims, a buffer unit 103 corresponding to the image file temporary storage unit, and an article corresponding to the item identification unit. The image forming apparatus includes an identification unit 105, an image file editing unit 107 corresponding to an image file editing unit, an image file storage unit 109, a control unit 111, and a display unit 113 corresponding to a display unit.
[0014]
Hereafter, each component which the imaging device of this embodiment has will be described.
First, the image capturing unit 101 captures an image. The buffer unit 103 temporarily stores an image file of an image shot by the shooting unit 101. In the present embodiment, the image file is stored in a format defined by the Exif standard. According to the standard, in addition to image data, attached information such as shooting conditions such as exposure time, white balance, and shutter speed is recorded in the image file in a tag format. The tag recording location is divided for each IFD (Image File Directory), and the tag is recorded in each IFD.
[0015]
FIG. 2 shows the data structure of an Exif format image file according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the Exif format image file has attached information 201 and image data 203. The attached information 201 includes at least one IFD, and each IFD stores each setting by a tag. In particular, in the present embodiment, a tag 205 for storing information related to the article is provided.
[0016]
The article identifying unit 105 recognizes a photographed article by recognizing a barcode, a serial code, or the like (hereinafter, a barcode will be described as an example) in the photographed image. In addition, the identification information regarding the articles in the claims corresponds to the barcode. Further, the image file editing unit 107 writes information (hereinafter referred to as “article information”) related to the article identified by the article identifying unit 105 to a predetermined tag of the image file stored in the buffer unit 103. It is for editing image files. The image file storage unit 109 stores the image file edited by the image file editing unit 107.
[0017]
In addition, the control unit 111 displays the image of the image file stored in the image file storage unit 109 and attached information such as article information on the display unit 113, or displays an image file captured in the past according to a user instruction. The data is read from the storage unit 109 and displayed on the display unit 113. When the user instructs to output an image file, the instructed image file is read from the image file storage unit 109 and output to the outside.
[0018]
The display unit 113 displays the image data read out from the image file storage unit 109 by the control unit 111 as an image, and also displays the attached information read out from the image file storage unit 109 by the control unit 111. FIG. 3 shows a display example by the display unit 113. FIG. 4A shows an example in which an article image and article information are displayed on the same screen, and FIG. 4B shows an example in which an article barcode is enlarged and article information is displayed.
[0019]
Next, the operation of the photographing apparatus of the present embodiment (the method for adding article information to an image file) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the article information adding method by the photographing apparatus of the present embodiment. In the following description, a case where the photographing apparatus of the present embodiment is utilized in an automatic warehouse system will be described.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, first, the articles stored in the warehouse are photographed by the photographing unit 101 (step S <b> 101). Next, an image file including image data photographed by the photographing unit 101 is generated and stored in the buffer unit 103 (step S103). Next, the article identification unit 105 reads the image data from the buffer unit 103 and recognizes the barcode in the captured image (step S105). Next, the article identifying unit 105 recognizes the article based on the barcode recognized in step S105, and sends information (article information) regarding the article to the image file editing unit 107 (step S107).
[0021]
Next, the image file editing unit 107 reads the image file stored in the buffer unit 103 and writes the article information received from the article identification unit 105 to a tag for storing the article information of the image file (step S109). Next, the image file in which the article information is written is stored in the image file storage unit 109 (step S111). Next, the control unit 111 reads out the image file stored in the image file storage unit 109, and causes the display unit 113 to display attached information including the image and article information (step S113).
[0022]
As described above, according to the photographing apparatus and the method for adding article information to an image file according to the present embodiment, an image file including information on an article in a photographed image can be generated. For this reason, in the mode in which the attached information is displayed together with the image, the user can refer to the article information together with the image. Further, since the image data and the article information are managed in one file, the number of databases may be one. Therefore, cost reduction, simplification of structure, and simplification of management of shelf status and the like can be realized.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the imaging device, the method for adding article information to an image file, and the article information addition program according to the present invention, an image file including information (article information) related to an article in a taken image is generated. Can do. For this reason, in the mode in which the attached information is displayed together with the image, the user can refer to the article information together with the image. Further, since the image data and the article information are managed in one file, the number of databases may be one. Therefore, cost reduction, simplification of structure and simplification of management can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment showing a configuration of a photographing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of an Exif format image file according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method for adding article information to an image file by the photographing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional data structure of an Exif format image file.
101 Image capturing unit 103 Buffer unit 105 Article identification unit 107 Image file editing unit 109 Image file storage unit 111 Control unit 113 Display unit

Claims (3)

Photographing means for photographing an image;
Image file temporary storage means for temporarily storing an image file composed of image data of the photographed image including the article and identification information of the article photographed by the photographing means and attached information relating to the photographed image;
Article identifying means for recognizing the identification information included in the photographed image and identifying article information of the article contained in the photographed image;
The additional information of the image files stored in the image file temporary storage unit that has been identified by the article identification device, and a picture file editing means for adding the article information of an article contained in the captured image An imaging device characterized by the above. An image file temporary storage step for temporarily storing an image file composed of image data of a photographed image including an article and identification information of the article and attached information related to the photographed image;
An article identification step for recognizing the identification information included in the photographed image and identifying article information of an article contained in the photographed image;
Characterized in that it has the additional information of the image file stored in the image file temporary storage step, it said identified in article identification step, and an image file editing step of adding an article information of an article contained in the captured image A method for adding article information to an image file.   An article information addition program for causing a computer to execute the article information addition method for an image file according to claim 2.

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