Information processing apparatus and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10991071-B2
Application number	US-201916385004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2019
Priority date	Apr 18, 2018
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a partial image generator configured to generate a partial image having a point-of-interest designated by a user, from a 360-degree image, a user interface (UI) unit configured to receive an indication of the point-of-interest via a UI screen for displaying the partial image, and a point-of-interest registering unit configured to register the point-of-interest, in response to a request from the user via the UI screen. The information processing apparatus also includes an interpolation line calculator configured to calculate an interpolation line for interpolating between a most recently registered point-of-interest and a current point-of-interest, and an interpolation line registering unit configured to register an interpolation line between the designated point-of-interest and a point-of-interest designated immediately prior to the designated point-of-interest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
generate a partial image, having a point-of-interest designated by a user, from a 360-degree image, and display the generated partial image,
accept a registration request of the designated point-of-interest from the user via a user interface (UI) screen displaying the generated partial image,
register the designated point-of-interest, in response to the registration request from the user via the UI screen,
calculate an interpolation line interpolating between a most recently registered point-of-interest and the designated point-of-interest,
register the interpolation line between the designated point-of-interest and the most recently registered point-of-interest registered immediately prior to the designated point-of-interest, and
display the interpolation line and the designated point-of-interest superimposed on the partial image in the UI screen.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the UI screen includes an icon-displaying region displaying point-of-interest icons corresponding to designated points-of-interest in order of registering the designated points-of-interest,
wherein in response to selecting a point-of-interest icon in the icon-displaying region, the processing circuitry is further configured to accept a change to a corresponding point-of-interest; and
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to recalculate a particular interpolation line interpolating between the corresponding point-of-interest and another registered point-of-interest immediately preceding or following the corresponding point-of-interest.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the each point-of-interest icon is a thumbnail of the partial image having a center at the corresponding designated point-of-interest.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein in response to selecting the point-of-interest icon, the processing circuitry is further configured to accept a deletion of a corresponding point-of-interest, and
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to calculate a new interpolation line interpolating between a registered point-of-interest immediately preceding the deleted point-of-interest and a registered point-of-interest immediately following the deleted point-of-interest.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
cause a transition of a point-of-interest along a pathway interpolating with respect to at least two registered points-of-interest of the designated points-of-interest; and
execute an animation that allows at least two partial images, each of which has a center at a partial-image-specific point-of-interest intended for the transition, to be displayed in order of transitioning points-of-interest,
display, in the icon-displaying region, interpolation-line icons corresponding to registered interpolation lines, and
in response to selecting an interpolation-line icon, accept a setting of a parameter for the animation executed along the pathway corresponding to the selected interpolation-line icon.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display the points-of-interest and the point-of-interest icons such that correspondences between the points-of-interest and the point-of-interest icons are visually recognizable, and display the interpolation lines and the interpolation-line icons such that correspondences between the interpolation lines and the interpolation-line icons are visually recognizable.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to distinctly display points-of-interest or interpolation lines.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the UI screen includes an icon-displaying region displaying point-of-interest icons corresponding to designated points-of-interest in order of registering the designated points-of-interest.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the partial image from the 360-degree image using a projective transformation.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display the partial image so that a center of the displayed partial image coincides with the designated point-of-interest.

11. A non-transitory recording medium storing a program that, when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to execute a method, the method comprising:
generating a partial image having a point-of-interest designated by a user, from a celestial sphere image and displaying the generated partial image;
accepting a registration request of the designated point-of-interest from the user via a user interface (UI) screen displaying the generated partial image;
registering the designated point-of-interest, in response to the registration request from the user via the UI screen;
calculating an interpolation line interpolating between a most recently registered point-of-interest and the designated point-of-interest;
registering the interpolation line between the designated point-of-interest and the most recently registered point-of-interest registered immediately prior to the designated point-of-interest; and
displaying the interpolation line and the designated point-of-interest superimposed on the partial image in the UI screen.

Assignees

• Ohba Kazuhiro
• Shimizu Keitaro
• Mizutani Hitomi
• Sasaki Tomohiko
• Osaki Tetsuyuki
• Hirose Mitsuhiko
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohba Kazuhiro
• Shimizu Keitaro
• Mizutani Hitomi
• Sasaki Tomohiko
• Osaki Tetsuyuki
• Hirose Mitsuhiko

Classifications

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• H04N23/631

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/632

  for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters · CPC title