JPH046035B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention uses image information accumulated in a center device,
The present invention relates to an image information providing device that provides search information to a terminal device via a transmission path.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

When providing information on three-dimensional objects such as products, works of art, or machine parts, conventional image information providing devices provide one or more still images of the object as two-dimensional information taken from a specific direction. Displaying image information. Since only image information taken from a limited direction is provided in this way, it is difficult for the user to obtain image information taken of the object from the direction that the user really wants to see, and it is also difficult for the user to It was also difficult to grasp the shape three-dimensionally.

In order to solve this problem, a method can be considered in which image information obtained by continuously photographing the object from all directions is stored in the center device, and images taken from the directions requested by the user are provided. However, since it takes time to display one screen with an image information providing device that uses a narrowband transmission path, it takes a considerable amount of time to display enough screens for the operator to grasp the three-dimensional shape of the object. It will require. In addition, when photographing an object from all directions, the number of screens is enormous, so applying search methods such as tree search, keyword search, and cross-search used in conventional captain services, etc. It is very difficult to quickly search and display image information taken from a direction requested by a person, and for the same reason, the amount of image information that must be stored in the center device becomes enormous.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, in order to solve such problems, as shown in Fig. 2, Q consecutive images are obtained from image information taken continuously from all circumferential directions along a virtual hemisphere covering an object. The information and R still image information are generated, encoded, and stored in the center. Continuous image information is image information used to search for the viewpoint position to view an object and grasp the three-dimensional shape of the object, and each screen is sampled and photographed to the extent that each screen can be regarded as one frame of a video. It is. Still image information is image information for observing an object in detail, and is photographed with coarser sampling than continuous image information, and Q>R.
When the terminal operator requests the display of an object that he or she wants to see, continuous image information and still image information taken from a predetermined initial direction of the object are displayed on the terminal device as shown in Figure 3a. displayed on the screen at the same time. When the operator inputs the moving direction of the viewpoint position in which the object is viewed (up, down, right, left, etc.), continuous image information when the viewpoint is moved in the moving direction is displayed on the terminal. That is, continuous image information is displayed continuously as if the operator were freely rotating the object up, down, left and right. This situation is shown in Figure 3b.
Shown below. In this manner, the operator can quickly grasp the three-dimensional shape of the object by dynamically and smoothly changing the viewpoint from which the object is viewed. In addition, if the operator wants to view the continuous image information displayed at the current viewpoint in more detail, the operator can request to display still image information, and the continuous image information currently displayed on the terminal device can be displayed from the center device. Still image information corresponding to the information is sent out and displayed on the terminal device. This situation is shown in FIG. 3c. If the continuous image information has the same definition as the still image information, the above function can be sufficiently achieved by displaying the continuous image information alone. However, since continuous image information must be displayed smoothly as if it were a moving image, the number of screens Q becomes enormous. That is, unless the amount of data per screen of sequential image information is reduced, the amount of data that must be stored at the center will become enormous. Furthermore, whether or not it can be displayed as a smooth moving image depends on the transmission speed of the transmission path, and depending on this transmission speed, the amount of data per screen of continuous image information must be reduced to the extent that it can be displayed as a moving image. Therefore, in the present invention, Q pieces of continuous image information with a small amount of data per screen (in other words, the screen size is small and the image quality has deteriorated) and Q pieces of continuous image information with a large amount of data per screen (the screen size is By preparing R sheets of still image information (large and of good quality) and setting Q>>R, one sheet of still image information corresponds to Q/R sheets of continuous image information. However, if the image information storage capacity of the center device is sufficiently large and the transmission speed of the transmission line is sufficiently fast, it is clear that it is sufficient to use Q sheets of continuous image information, which have a large amount of data per screen. .

[Effect]

In order to achieve the above purpose, the photographing points (viewpoint positions at which the object is viewed) when the object is continuously photographed along a virtual hemisphere are determined in advance, regardless of the object. One of these photographing points is determined as the initial viewpoint position, and names (numbers) are given to the other photographing points. For each object, the accumulation position in the center device of continuous image information photographed at the initial viewpoint position is stored in the center device, and Q
- The relative storage position of one piece of continuous image information is determined in advance as shown in FIG. In other words, the relative accumulation position in the center device of the continuous image information taken at the initial viewpoint position and the storage position in the center device of the Q-1 continuous images taken at other viewpoint positions, regardless of the object. Determine in advance. When the terminal device sends the relative accumulation position of continuous image information corresponding to the viewpoint from which the object is viewed to the center device, the center device adds the relative accumulation position to the accumulation position of the continuous image information taken at the initial viewpoint position. The continuous image information stored in the storage position is read out and sent to the terminal device. Since the center device does not need to manage the viewpoint position of continuous image information displayed on the terminal device, a large number of terminal devices can be connected to the center device.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail according to examples. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.

The terminal device 1 includes an input section 2, a still image information display request/still image information relative accumulation position conversion section 10, a current point position storage section 13, a moving direction/continuous image information relative accumulation position conversion section 14, and a transmission buffer storage section 17. Transmission/reception control section 18, reception buffer storage section 19, and decoding section 2
0, a multi-window display control section 24, and an image information display section 25.

The input section 2 includes an object number input section 3, a movement direction input section 4, a still image information display request input section 5, buffer storage sections 6, 7, and 8, and an input control section 9. When the operator of the terminal inputs into the object number input section 3 an object number assigned in advance corresponding to the object he or she wants to see, the object number is converted into an electrical signal and stored in the buffer storage section 6. The input control section 9 is the buffer storage section 6
When the object number stored in is read out, the object number is output to the transmission buffer storage section 17, and then
9 outputs a control signal to the decoding unit 20, which means that still image information and continuous image information are sent one image at a time in this order.

The transmission/reception control unit 18 is a part that is paired with the transmission/reception control unit 30 of the center device 29 and controls the transfer of signals between the center device 29 and the terminal device 1 via the transmission path 28. The object number stored in is sent to the center device 29 via the transmission line 28.
to be transmitted.

The center device 29 includes a transmission/reception control section 30, a reception buffer storage section 31, an input control section 32, an initial still image information search section 33, a still image information storage section 37, an initial continuous image information search section 38, and a continuous image information storage section 42. It is composed of a still image information relative search section 43, a continuous image information relative search section 44, and a transmission buffer storage section 45. In the still image information storage unit 37, R pieces of image information of M×N pixels obtained by sequentially photographing each of P objects along a hemisphere are encoded and stored for each object. One of the R pieces of still image information for each object is initial still image information taken from a predetermined initial position, and the relative accumulation position of each image information to the initial still image information accumulation position is , as shown in FIG. 4, is determined in advance according to the photographing position. In the continuous image information storage unit 42, Q pieces of image information of m×n pixels obtained by successively photographing an object along a hemisphere are encoded and stored. Continuous image information has fewer pixels per screen than still image information (m<
M, n<N), but the number of screens is large enough to smoothly display a moving image when displayed continuously (Q>R). As in the case of still image information, continuous image information includes initial continuous image information that is photographed from the initial position for each object, and the relative accumulation position of other image information with respect to this information is also different from that of still image information. Similarly, it is predetermined depending on the shooting position.

The object number sent from the terminal device 1 is stored in the reception buffer storage section 31 via the transmission and reception control section 30. When the input control unit 32 reads out the object number stored in the reception buffer storage unit 31, it identifies that this is the object number and inputs it to the initial still image information search unit 3.
The object number is output to 3.

The initial still image information search unit 33 is a search control unit 34
, a still image information initial accumulation position storage section 35 , and an initial accumulation position storage section 36 . As shown in FIG. 5, the still image information initial storage position storage section 35 stores where in the still image information storage section 37 the initial still image information of the object corresponding to each object number is stored. . The search control unit 34 reads the object number input to the initial still image information search unit 33 and stores the object number in the still image information initial accumulation position storage unit 35.
Read the storage position corresponding to the object number from
This is stored in the initial storage position storage section 36, and the initial still image information stored in the storage position of the still image information storage section 37 is read out and output to the transmission buffer storage section 45. When the reading of the initial still image information is completed, the search control unit 34 outputs the object number to the continuous image information initial search unit 38. The initial still image information output to the transmission buffer storage section 45 is transmitted to the terminal device 1 via the transmission/reception control section 30 and the transmission line 28.

The initial continuous image information search unit 38 is the search control unit 3
9, a continuous image information initial accumulation position storage section 40, and an initial accumulation position storage section 41. The continuous image information initial storage position storage section 40 stores where in the continuous image information storage section 42 the initial continuous image information of the object corresponding to each object number is stored. When the search control unit 39 reads the object number input from the initial still image information search unit 33 , it reads the storage position corresponding to the object number from the continuous image information initial storage position storage unit 40 , and stores the storage position corresponding to the object number in the continuous image information storage unit 42 . The continuous image information stored in the storage position is read out and output to the transmission buffer storage unit 45, and the storage position is stored in the initial storage position storage unit 41. The initial continuous image information output to the transmission buffer storage unit 45 is transmitted to the terminal device 1 via the transmission/reception control unit 30 and the transmission path 28.

The image information sent from the center device 29 to the terminal device 1 is temporarily stored in the reception buffer storage section 19 via the transmission/reception control section 18.

The decoding section 20 includes a decoding control section 21 , a continuous image information decoding section 22 , and a still image information decoding section 23 . The decoding control unit 21 determines whether (a) still image information and continuous image information are sent in this order from the center device 29, or (b) whether the still image information Determine whether only image information is being sent or (c) only continuous image information is being sent. In this case, since the input unit 2 first outputs a control signal that means that still image information and continuous image information are sent in this order, the decoding control unit 21 is connected to the reception buffer storage unit. The still image information stored in the still image information decoding section 2
3, and then outputs the continuous image information stored in the reception buffer storage section 19 to the continuous image information decoding section 22. The still image information decoding section 23 decodes the input still image information and outputs it to the multi-window display control section 24, and the continuous image information decoding section 22
decodes the input continuous image information and outputs it to the multi-window display control section.

The multi-window display control section 24 controls the image information display section 25 in order to simultaneously display still image information and continuous image information on the same screen as shown in FIG.
Controls writing of still image information and continuous image information to.

The image information display section 25 includes an image information storage section 26 and an image information display device 27. Still image information and continuous image information are written into an image information storage section 26 by the multi-window display control section 24, and the contents of the image information storage section 26 are displayed on an image information display device 27 such as a CRT.

Through the above operations, the image information display device 27 of the terminal device 1 displays the initial still image information and initial continuous image information of the object corresponding to the object number input by the operator (i.e., the third The screen shown in Figure a is displayed on the terminal device 1). Next, when the operator wants to move the viewpoint from which the object is viewed, the operator inputs the direction of movement of the viewpoint into the movement direction input section 4 of the input section 2 . The moving direction input section 4 converts the input moving direction into an electrical signal and stores it in the buffer storage section 7. When the input control unit 9 reads the movement direction stored in the buffer storage unit 7, it outputs the movement direction to the movement direction/continuous image information relative accumulation position conversion unit 14, and the decoding unit 20
Next, a control signal indicating that continuous image information is sent from the center device 29 is output.

Movement direction/continuous image information relative accumulation position conversion unit 1
4 is composed of a conversion control section 15 and a continuous image information relative accumulation position storage section 16. The continuous image information relative storage position storage unit 16 stores information stored in the continuous image information storage unit 42 of the center device (per object).
Stored is how far each piece of continuous image information is stored relative to the storage position of the initial continuous image information (hereinafter referred to as continuous image information relative storage position). When the movement direction is input from the input unit 2, the conversion control unit 15 reads the current viewpoint position from the current viewpoint position storage unit 13, calculates a new viewpoint position when moving in the movement direction, and sets this as the current viewpoint. It is stored in the position storage unit 13. Next, the relative accumulation position of continuous image information corresponding to this new viewpoint position is read from the continuous image information relative accumulation position storage section 16 and stored in the transmission buffer storage section 17 .

The relative storage position of the continuous image information stored in the transmission buffer storage unit 17 is determined between the transmission and reception control unit 18 and the transmission line 2.
8 and the transmission/reception control section 30 of the center device 29, and is stored in the reception buffer storage section 31 of the center device 29.

When the input control unit 32 reads out the continuous image information relative accumulation position stored in the reception buffer storage unit 31, it outputs the continuous image information relative accumulation position to the continuous image information relative search unit 44.

When the continuous image information relative storage position is input, the continuous image information relative search unit 44 reads the initial continuous image information storage position from the initial storage position storage unit 41 of the initial continuous image information search unit 38, and searches the initial continuous image information storage position continuously from the storage position. A storage position is calculated by adding the image information relative storage position, and continuous image information is read from the storage position of the continuous image information storage section and stored in the transmission buffer storage section 45.

The continuous image information stored in the transmission buffer storage section 45 is transmitted to the transmission/reception control section 30, the transmission path 28, and the terminal device 1.
The data is stored in the reception buffer storage unit 19 of the terminal device 1 via the transmission/reception control unit 18 of the terminal device 1 .

The decoding control unit 21 of the decoding unit 20 then receives a control signal from the input unit 2 that means that only continuous image information is sent from the center device 29. The stored continuous image information is output to the continuous image information decoding section 22. The continuous image information decoding section 22 decodes the input continuous image information and outputs it to the multi-window display control section 24. The multi-window display control unit 24 rewrites only the continuous plane image information portion of the image information storage unit 26 with the input new continuous image information. Therefore, on the image information display device 27, the object of the continuous image information appears to rotate in the opposite direction to the input viewpoint movement direction. This is the state shown in FIG. 3b.

In this way, while the operator moves the viewpoint direction and rotates the object in the continuous image information as desired, if the operator wants to see more detailed image information from the current viewpoint direction, , inputs a still image information display request from the still image information display request input section 5. The still image information display request input section 5 converts the input still image display request into an electrical signal and stores it in the buffer storage section 8 . The input control section 9 is a buffer storage section 8
When the still image information display request stored in is read out,
This means that the still image information display request signal is output to the still image information display request/still image information relative storage position conversion section 10, and only the still image information is then sent from the center device 29 to the decoding section 20. Outputs a control signal to

The still image information display request/still image information relative storage position conversion unit 10 is composed of a conversion control unit 11 and a still image information relative storage position storage unit 12. The still image information relative storage position storage unit 12 stores R pieces of still image information (per object) stored in the still image information storage unit 37 of the center device 29 relative to the initial still image information storage position. The location at which the still image information is stored (hereinafter referred to as relative storage position) is stored. When a still image information display request is input, the conversion control unit 11 reads the current point position from the current point position storage unit 13 and freezes the still image information relative storage position of the still image information corresponding to the current point position. Reading from the image information relative storage position storage section 12 and transmission buffer storage section 1
Store in 7.

The still image information relative storage position stored in the transmission buffer storage unit 17 is determined by the transmission/reception control unit 18 and the transmission line 28.
and the transmission/reception control section 30 of the center device 29,
It is stored in the reception buffer storage section 31 of the center device 29.

When the input control section 32 reads out the still image information relative storage position stored in the reception buffer storage section 31, it outputs it to the still image information relative search section 43.

When the still image information relative storage position is input, the still image information relative search unit 43 reads the initial storage position from the initial storage position storage unit 36 of the initial still image information search unit 33, and compares the still image information relative to the initial storage position. The storage position is calculated by adding the storage position, and the still image information is read from the storage position of the still image information storage section 37 and stored in the transmission buffer storage section 45.

The still image information stored in the transmission buffer storage unit 45 is sent to the transmission/reception control unit 30, the transmission path 28, and the terminal device 1.
The data is stored in the reception buffer storage unit 19 of the terminal device 1 via the transmission/reception control unit 18 of the terminal device 1 .

Since the decoding control unit 20 receives a control signal from the input unit 2 indicating that only still image information is to be sent from the center device 29 next, the decoding control unit 20 decodes the still image stored in the reception buffer storage unit 19. When the information is read, it is output to the still image information decoding section 23.
The still image information decoding section 23 decodes the input still image information and outputs it to the multi-window display control section 24 . The multi-window display control section 24 writes the input still image information into the still image information storage section of the image information storage section 26. Therefore, the image information display device of the terminal device 1 displays still image information in which the object is viewed from the same viewpoint direction as the currently displayed continuous image information. This is the third
This is the state shown in Figure c.

In the above, by continuously photographing the object along the hemisphere, Q pieces of continuous image information and R pieces of still image information were generated, but by continuously photographing the object along the whole sphere, 2Q pieces of continuous image information were generated. Information and 2R still image information may be generated.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, in the image information providing device,
When providing information on a three-dimensional object such as a product or a work of art, the three-dimensional shape can be quickly grasped. Furthermore, the operator can quickly search for the direction in which he or she wants to view the object and provide image information taken from that direction. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in the present invention, since the terminal device manages the viewpoint position for viewing an object, there is no need for the center device to track the viewpoint position that changes one after another due to the operation of the terminal device, and a large number of terminal devices can be used. Can be connected to the center device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows how image information is continuously captured along a virtual hemisphere covering an object, and Fig. 3 shows a terminal device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how continuous image information and still image information according to the present invention are displayed on a display screen,
Figure 4 shows each shooting position when images are taken continuously along a virtual hemisphere covering an object, and the corresponding relative accumulation position of each continuous image information in the center device, and Figure 5 indicates the object number stored in the center device and the storage position of the initial continuous image information corresponding thereto. 1...Terminal device, 2...Input unit, 3...Object number input unit, 4...Movement direction input unit, 5...Still image information display request input unit, 6, 7, 8...Buffer storage unit, 9...Input control unit, 10...Still image information display request/still image information relative storage position conversion unit, 11
... Conversion control unit, 12... Still image information relative accumulation position storage unit, 13... Current point position storage unit, 14...
...Movement direction/continuous image information relative accumulation position conversion unit,
15... Conversion control unit, 16... Continuous image information relative accumulation position storage unit, 17... Transmission buffer storage unit, 18
...Transmission/reception control section, 19...Reception buffer storage section, 2
0...Decoding unit, 21...Decoding control unit, 22...
... continuous image information decoding section, 23 ... still image information decoding section, 24 ... multi-window display control section, 25 ... image information display section, 26 ... image information storage section, 27 ... image information display device , 28...Transmission path, 29...Center device, 30...Transmission/reception control section, 31...Reception buffer storage section, 32...Input control section, 33...Initial still image information search section, 34...
Search control unit, 35...Still image information initial accumulation position storage unit, 36...Initial accumulation position storage unit, 37...
Still image information storage unit, 38...Initial continuous image information search unit, 39...Search control unit, 40...Continuous image information initial accumulation position storage unit, 41...Initial accumulation position storage unit, 42...Continuous image information Storage section, 43...Still image information relative search section, 44...Continuous image information relative search section, 45...Transmission buffer storage section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In an image information providing device that stores a large number of still image information each consisting of M×N pixels and displays the still image information in response to an operator's request, for each of the stored objects: , Q pieces of m×n pixels (1<m
A continuous image information storage unit that stores continuous image information of <M, 1<n<N), and a continuous image information storage unit that stores R images (1
A still image information storage unit that stores still image information of M×N pixels of <R<Q), a current viewpoint position storage unit that stores the position of the current viewpoint from which the object is viewed, and a direction of movement of the viewpoint is input. and reads the contents of the current point position storage unit to obtain a new viewpoint position, outputs continuous image information photographed from the current point position, and stores the current point position in the current point position storage unit. a moving direction/continuous image information relative accumulation position conversion unit; and a still image information display unit that, when a still image information display request is input, reads the contents of the current point position storage unit and outputs still image information corresponding to the current point position. An image information providing device comprising an image information display request/still image relative storage position converter.