Communication management apparatus, image communication system, communication management method, and recording medium

Abstract

A communication management apparatus includes circuitry to receive from a communication terminal predetermined-position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where a plurality of image capturing devices are provided, and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position, and transmit to the communication terminal first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device, the first image capturing device being arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position, and the second image capturing device being arranged such that an angle between the second and the first image capturing devices is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-166189, filed on Sep. 30, 2020, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a communication management apparatus, an image communication system, a communication management method, and a recording medium.

Description of the Related Art

An image capturing device capable of capturing an omnidirectional scene using a plurality of wide-angle lenses or fish-eye lenses is known. Also known is a system capable of distributing image data of an image captured using such an image capturing device in real time such that a distribution site where the image capturing device is disposed is viewable at a different site in real time.

For example, there is a system in which images captured by a plurality of cameras at a remote location are displayed on a terminal such that a user can grasp the situation at the remote location.

In the existing method, however, a user who desires to view a scene at a predetermined position in an area where a plurality of image capturing devices are disposed, individually operates a plurality of image capturing devices in an area including the predetermined position.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments include a communication management apparatus for communicating with a communication terminal that displays images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices. The communication management apparatus includes circuitry that receives, from the communication terminal, predetermined-position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position. The circuitry further transmits, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices. The first image capturing device is arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined-position information. the second image capturing device is arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

Example embodiments include an image communication system including the above-described communication management apparatus, and a communication terminal configured to display images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices.

Example embodiments include a communication management method executed by a communication management apparatus, the communication management apparatus is communicable with a communication terminal that displays images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices. The communication management method includes: receiving, from the communication terminal, predetermined-position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position; and transmitting, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices. The first image capturing device is arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined-position information. The second image capturing device is arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

Example embodiments include a non-transitory recording medium which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a communication management method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a side view, a front view, and a plan view of an image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively;

FIG. 2 is an illustration for explaining how a user uses the image capturing device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are views illustrating a hemispherical image (front side) captured by the image capturing device, a hemispherical image (back side) captured by the image capturing device, and an image in equirectangular projection, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a surface of a sphere is covered with the equirectangular projection image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a view illustrating a spherical image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating positions of a virtual camera and a predetermined area in a case in which the spherical image is of a three-dimensional solid sphere according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the virtual camera and the predetermined area illustrated in FIG. 5 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a view illustrating an image of the predetermined area displayed on a display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a relationship between predetermined-area information and the image of the predetermined area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a point in a three-dimensional Euclidean space according to spherical coordinates, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the general arrangement of an image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an overview of a distribution site in the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of the image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of a distribution terminal, a communication management apparatus, and a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example functional configuration of the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example functional configuration of the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image capturing device management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example session management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example predetermined-area management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example arrangement information management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example distribution-site management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example weighting coefficient management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example specific weighting coefficient management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example predetermined-area management table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between a point of interest and image capturing devices when the number of divisions is two, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices when the number of divisions is two, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between a point of interest and image capturing devices when the number of divisions is three, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 24 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices when the number of divisions is three, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 25 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices when the number of divisions is three, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between a point of interest and image capturing devices when the number of divisions is four, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 27 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between a point of interest and image capturing devices in irregular positions, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for participating in a specific communication session in the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 29 is a view illustrating an example screen for selecting a communication session according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for managing image type information in the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for communicating captured image data and audio data in the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 32 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for displaying a point of interest in the image communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for selecting an image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34 is a view illustrating an example site display screen displayed on the communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 35 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for selecting a supplementary image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 36 is a view illustrating an example display screen on which a predetermined-area image is displayed, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram illustrating a modification of the process for displaying a point of interest in the image communication system.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.

Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, any redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Method for Generating Spherical Image

A method for generating a spherical image according to one or more embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 8.

First, the external appearance of an image capturing device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C. The image capturing device 10 is a digital camera for capturing images from which a 360-degree spherical image is generated. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a side view, a front view, and a plan view of the image capturing device 10, respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the image capturing device 10 has a size such that a person can hold the image capturing device 10 with one hand. As illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the image capturing device 10 includes an imaging element 103a and an imaging element 103b in an upper portion thereof such that the imaging element 103a is disposed on the front side and the imaging element 103b is disposed on the back side. The imaging elements (image sensors) 103a and 103b are used together with an optical member (e.g., lenses 102a and 102b described below) capable of capturing a hemispherical image (with an angle of view of 180 degrees or more). As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the image capturing device 10 further includes an operation device 115 such as a shutter button on the back surface of the image capturing device 10.

Next, a situation in which the image capturing device 10 is used will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an illustration for explaining how a user uses the image capturing device 10. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image capturing device 10 is used to, for example, capture an image of objects around the user when the user holds the image capturing device 10 with one hand. The imaging elements 103a and 103b illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C capture the objects surrounding the user to obtain two hemispherical images.

Next, an overview of a process for creating a spherical image from images captured by the image capturing device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 4B. FIG. 3A is a view illustrating a hemispherical image (front side) captured by the image capturing device 10, FIG. 3B is a view illustrating a hemispherical image (back side) captured by the image capturing device 10, and FIG. 3C is a view illustrating an image in equirectangular projection (hereinafter referred to as “equirectangular projection image”). FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a surface of a sphere is covered with the equirectangular projection image, and FIG. 4B is a view illustrating a spherical image.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, an image obtained by the imaging element 103a is a curved hemispherical image (front side) captured through the lens 102a described below. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, an image captured by the imaging element 103b is a curved hemispherical image (back side) captured through the lens 102b described below. The image capturing device 10 combines the hemispherical image (front side) and the hemispherical image (back side), which is flipped by 180 degrees, to create an equirectangular projection image EC illustrated in FIG. 3C.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the image capturing device 10 uses Open Graphics Library for Embedded Systems (OpenGL ES) to map the equirectangular projection image EC onto the surface of the sphere so as to cover the surface of the sphere to create a spherical image (spherical panoramic image) CE illustrated in FIG. 4B. In other words, the spherical image CE is represented such that the equirectangular projection image EC corresponds to a surface facing the center of the sphere. OpenGL ES is a graphics library used for visualizing two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) data. The spherical image CE may be either a still image or a moving image.

As described above, the spherical image CE is an image mapped onto a sphere surface so as to cover the sphere surface and may look strange to the human eye. The image capturing device 10 displays the spherical image CE such that a predetermined area T included in the spherical image CE is represented as a flat image having fewer curves. Thus, it is less likely that a person viewing the spherical image CE feels strange. An image of the predetermined area T is hereinafter referred to as “predetermined-area image”. The display of the predetermined-area image will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating positions of a virtual camera IC and the predetermined area T in a case in which the spherical image CE is of a three-dimensional solid sphere. The virtual camera IC is at a position of a point of view of a user who is viewing the spherical image CE displayed on the surface of the three-dimensional solid sphere. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the virtual camera IC and the predetermined area T illustrated in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a view illustrating an image of the predetermined area T displayed on a display. In FIG. 6A, the spherical image CE illustrated in FIG. 5 is represented by a three-dimensional solid sphere CS. Assuming that the spherical image CE generated in the way described above is represented by the solid sphere CS, the virtual camera IC is located inside the spherical image CE, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The predetermined area T in the spherical image CE is an imaging area of the virtual camera IC and is specified by predetermined-area information indicating an imaging direction and an angle of view of the virtual camera IC in a three-dimensional virtual space including the spherical image CE. Zooming of the predetermined area T may be represented by moving the virtual camera IC toward or away from the spherical image CE. A predetermined-area image Q is an image of the predetermined area T in the spherical image CE. Accordingly, the predetermined area T can be specified by an angle of view α and a distance f from the virtual camera IC to the spherical image CE (see FIG. 7).

The predetermined-area image Q illustrated in FIG. 6A is displayed on a predetermined display as an image of the imaging area of the virtual camera IC, as illustrated in FIG. 6B. The image illustrated in FIG. 6B is a predetermined-area image represented by predetermined-area information that is set by default. In the following, a description will be given using the imaging direction (ea, aa) and the angle of view (α) of the virtual camera IC. The predetermined area T may be indicated by, instead of the angle of view α and the distance f, the imaging area (X, Y, Z) of the virtual camera IC, which is the predetermined area T.

Next, a relationship between the predetermined-area information and the image of the predetermined area T will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a relationship between the predetermined-area information and the image of the predetermined area T. As illustrated in FIG. 7, “ea” denotes an elevation angle, “aa” denotes an azimuth angle, and “a” denotes an angle of view of the virtual camera IC. The position of the virtual camera IC is changed such that the point of gaze of the virtual camera IC, which is indicated by the imaging direction (ea, aa), matches a central point CP(x, y) of the predetermined area T serving as the imaging area of the virtual camera IC. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the central point CP(x, y) of the predetermined area T, whose diagonal angle of view is represented by the angle of view α of the virtual camera IC and is denoted by α, is used as a parameter (x, y) of the predetermined-area information. The predetermined-area image Q is an image of the predetermined area T in the spherical image CE. The distance from the virtual camera IC to the central point CP(x, y) of the predetermined area T is denoted by “f”. The distance between the center point CP and a given vertex of the predetermined area T is denoted by “L” (2L is a diagonal line). In FIG. 7, a trigonometric function equation typically expressed by Equation (1) below is satisfied.

$\begin{array}{cc}L/f=\tan \left(\alpha /2\right)& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

The image capturing device 10 described above is an example of an image capturing device capable of acquiring a wide-angle view image, and the spherical image CE is an example of the wide-angle view image. The wide-angle view image is typically an image captured using a wide-angle lens, such as a lens capable of capturing an image of a wider range than that the human eye can perceive. Further, the wide-angle view image is typically an image taken with a lens having a focal length of 35 mm or less in terms of 35 mm film.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a point in a three-dimensional Euclidean space according to spherical coordinates. The position coordinates of the central point CP when expressed by the spherical polar coordinate system is defined as (r, θ, ϕ). The coordinates (r, θ, ϕ) represent the radial distance, the polar angle, and the azimuth angle, respectively. The radial distance r is a distance from the origin of a three-dimensional virtual space including the spherical image CE to the central point CP and is thus equal to the distance f. FIG. 8 illustrates a relationship among the radial distance r, the polar angle θ, and the azimuth angle ϕ. In the following, a description will be given using the position coordinates (r, θ, ϕ) of the virtual camera IC.

Overview of Image Communication System

Next, an overview of an image communication system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the general arrangement of an image communication system 1. The image communication system 1 illustrated in FIG. 9 is a system in which captured images such as video images distributed from a plurality of distribution sites are displayed at a plurality of viewing sites to provide real-time viewing of wide-range images (e.g., spherical images) obtained by capturing scenes at the distribution sites. In this embodiment, the distribution site is also referred to as “area”.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the image communication system 1 includes image capturing devices 10 (image capturing devices 10A and 10B) and distribution terminals 30 (distribution terminals 30A and 30B) located at a plurality of distribution sites (distribution site A (area A) and distribution site B (area B)), a communication management apparatus 50, and communication terminals 70 (communication terminals 70C and 70D) located at a plurality of viewing sites (viewing sites C and D). The image capturing devices 10A and 10B are hereinafter referred to collectively as “image capturing devices 10” or individually as “image capturing device 10” unless distinguished. The distribution terminals 30A and 30B are hereinafter referred to collectively as “distribution terminals 30” or individually as “distribution terminal 30” unless distinguished. The communication terminals 70C and 70D are hereinafter referred to collectively as “communication terminals 70” or individually as “communication terminal 70” unless distinguished.

The distribution terminals 30, the communication management apparatus 50, and the communication terminals 70 of the image communication system 1 can communicate with each other via a communication network 100. The communication network 100 is constructed by the Internet, a mobile communication network, a local area network (LAN), or the like. The communication network 100 may include, in addition to a wired communication network, a network based on a wireless communication standard such as third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (Registered Trademark), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), or Long Term Evolution (LTE).

As described above, the image capturing device 10 is a special digital camera configured to capture an image of an object or surroundings such as scenery to obtain two hemispherical images, from which a spherical image is generated. The captured image obtained by the image capturing device 10 may be a moving image or a still image or may include both a moving image and a still image. Further, the captured image may include an image and audio. The distribution terminal 30 is configured to acquire an image from the image capturing device 10 via a wired cable such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable and distribute the acquired image to the communication terminal 70 via the communication management apparatus 50. In one example, the image capturing device 10A and the distribution terminal 30A are located at the same site, namely, the distribution site A. The image capturing device 10B and the distribution terminal 30B are located at the same site, namely, the distribution site B. The number of distribution sites used is not limited to two, and one distribution site or three or more distribution sites may be used. In addition, the image capturing device 10 and the distribution terminal 30 may be connected wirelessly using short-range wireless communication or the like, instead of using a wired cable.

The communication management apparatus 50 controls communication between the distribution terminals 30 and the communication terminals 70 and manages types of image data (e.g., general image and special image) to be transmitted and received. In one example, the special image is a spherical image. The communication management apparatus 50 is arranged in a service company or the like that provides image communication services. The communication management apparatus 50 has a server function and provides identification information of image data (image data ID), the IP address of an image capturing device, image type information representing the type of the image data, and the like in response to a request from the communication terminal 70.

The communication management apparatus 50 may be constructed by a single computer or a plurality of computers that are assigned to divided components (functions or means) as appropriate. All or some of the functions of the communication management apparatus 50 may be implemented by a server computer existing in a cloud environment or a server computer existing in an on-premise environment.

The communication terminal 70 is a computer such as a personal computer (PC), which is used by a user at each viewing site. The communication terminal 70 displays an image (a still image and/or a moving image) distributed from the distribution terminal 30. The communication terminal 70 acquires a spherical image, which is an image captured by the image capturing device 10, via the communication network 100. The communication terminal 70 has installed therein OpenGL ES and is capable of creating predetermined-area information indicating a partial area of a spherical image sent from the distribution terminal or creating a predetermined-area image from the spherical image. In one example, the communication terminal 70C is placed at the viewing site C where a user C1 is located, and the communication terminal 70D is placed at the viewing site D where a user D1 is located.

The arrangement of the terminals and devices (i.e., the communication terminals 70, the image capturing devices 10, and the distribution terminals 30) and the users C1 and D1 illustrated in FIG. 9 is an example, and another example may be used. Each of the communication terminals 70 is not limited to a PC and may be, for example, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a wearable terminal, a projector (PJ), an Interactive White Board (IWB), which is an electronic whiteboard with mutual communication capability, a telepresence robot, or the like.

A distribution site in the image communication system 1 will now be schematically described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an overview of a distribution site in the image communication system 1. FIG. 10 illustrates the image capturing device 10A and the distribution terminal 30A at the distribution site A. While FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the distribution site A, the same applies to other distribution sites such as the distribution site B.

The distribution site A illustrated in FIG. 10 is, for example, a space such as an office floor, in which a plurality of image capturing devices 10A (image capturing devices 10A-1 to 10A-8) and a distribution terminal 30A capable of communicating with the image capturing devices 10A are arranged. The distribution site is not limited to the office floor and may be any space for which a user (or viewer) at a viewing site desires to remotely grasp the situation, and examples of the distribution site include a school, a factory, a warehouse, a construction site, a server room, and a store. For example, the image capturing devices 10A are arranged at predetermined intervals on desks on the office floor. The plurality of image capturing devices 10A are used to capture images of the entire distribution site A. The distribution terminal 30A receives captured image data from the image capturing devices 10A and distributes the received captured image data to the communication terminals 70 at viewing sites. The numbers of image capturing devices 10A and distribution terminals 30A arranged at the distribution site A are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 10. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, one image capturing device 10A and one distribution terminal 30A may be arranged at the distribution site A. As illustrated in FIG. 10, image capturing devices 10A and distribution terminals 30A having many-to-one relationship may be arranged. The same applies to the distribution site B.

In an existing system in which images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices arranged at a remote site are viewable at viewing sites, a user who desires to view the situation at a specific portion in the distribution site does not know which of the images captured by the image capturing devices to view. In addition, in a case in which users at different viewing sites desire to view different portions in the distribution site, operations on the image capturing devices (e.g., pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) operations) may conflict with each other. As a result, it may be difficult to provide an exclusive viewing that allows a plurality of users who view the same distribution site to view different portions. Further, even in a case in which spherical images, as described above, are captured by the image capturing devices, a user performs individual operations on a plurality of spherical images to perform a process for displaying an intended portion, and it is difficult for a user to perform an intuitive operation. To address this inconvenience, the image communication system 1 allows a user to perform an intuitive operation on a display screen such that a plurality of users are able to view, with interest, different portions in the distribution site using a captured image acquired from the same image capturing device.

Hardware Configuration of Image Communication System

Next, the hardware configuration of the devices or terminals of the image communication system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the hardware configurations illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, certain hardware elements may be added or deleted as appropriate.

Hardware Configuration of Image Capturing Device

First, the hardware configuration of the image capturing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of the image capturing device 10. In the following description, the image capturing device 10 is a spherical (omnidirectional) image capturing device including two imaging elements. However, the image capturing device 10 may include any suitable number of imaging elements greater than or equal to two imaging elements. In addition, the image capturing device 10 is not necessarily a device dedicated to capturing of an omnidirectional image. Alternatively, a typical digital camera, smartphone, or the like may be equipped with an external omnidirectional image capturing unit to implement an image capturing device having substantially the same functions as those of the image capturing device 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the image capturing device 10 includes an imaging device 101, an image processor 104, an imaging controller 105, a microphone 108, an audio processor 109, a central processing unit (CPU) 111, a read only memory (ROM) 112, a static random access memory (SRAM) 113, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 114, the operation device 115, an input/output interface (I/F) 116, a short-range communication circuit 117, an antenna 117a of the short-range communication circuit 117, an electronic compass 118, a gyro sensor 119, an acceleration sensor 120, and a network I/F 121.

The imaging device 101 includes wide-angle lenses (so-called fish-eye lenses) 102a and 102b, each having an angle of view greater than or equal to 180 degrees so as to form a hemispherical image. The imaging device 101 further includes the two imaging elements 103a and 103b corresponding to the wide-angle lenses 102a and 102b, respectively. The imaging elements 103a and 103b each include an image sensor such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a timing generation circuit, and a group of registers. Each of the image sensors converts an optical image formed by a corresponding one of the wide-angle lenses 102a and 102b into an electric signal to output image data. Each of the timing generation circuits generates a horizontal or vertical synchronization signal, a pixel clock, and the like for a corresponding one of the image sensors. Each of the groups of registers has set therein various commands, parameters, and the like to be used for operations of a corresponding one of the imaging elements 103a and 103b.

The imaging elements 103a and 103b of the imaging device 101 are connected to the image processor 104 via respective parallel I/F buses. In addition, the imaging elements 103a and 103b of the imaging device 101 are connected to the imaging controller 105 via respective serial I/F buses such as inter-integrated circuit (I2C) buses. The image processor 104, the imaging controller 105, and the audio processor 109 are connected to the CPU 111 via a bus 110. The ROM 112, the SRAM 113, the DRAM 114, the operation device 115, the input/output I/F 116, the short-range communication circuit 117, the electronic compass 118, the gyro sensor 119, the acceleration sensor 120, and the network I/F 121 are also connected to the bus 110.

The image processor 104 acquires respective pieces of image data output from the imaging elements 103a and 103b via the parallel I/F buses and performs predetermined processing on the pieces of image data. Thereafter, the image processor 104 combines the pieces of image data, which are subjected to the predetermined processing, to generate data of an equirectangular projection image as illustrated in FIG. 3C.

The imaging controller 105 usually functions as a master device while the imaging elements 103a and 103b usually function as slave devices. The imaging controller 105 sets commands and the like in the groups of registers of the imaging elements 103a and 103b via the respective I2C buses. The imaging controller 105 receives various commands from the CPU 111. Further, the imaging controller 105 acquires status data and the like of the groups of registers of the imaging elements 103a and 103b via the respective I2C buses. The imaging controller 105 sends the acquired status data and the like to the CPU 111.

The imaging controller 105 instructs the imaging elements 103a and 103b to output image data at a time when a shutter button of the operation device 115 is pressed (or tapped). Such a pressing or tapping operation is hereinafter referred to simply as “operation”. In some cases, the image capturing device 10 has a function of displaying a preview image on a display (e.g., a display of an external terminal such as a smartphone that performs short-range communication with the image capturing device 10 through the short-range communication circuit 117) or displaying a moving image. In the case of displaying a moving image, the imaging elements 103a and 103b continuously output image data at a predetermined frame rate (frames per minute).

Further, as described below, the imaging controller 105 operates in cooperation with the CPU 111 to also function as a synchronization controller for synchronizing the time when the imaging element 103a outputs image data and the time when the imaging element 103b outputs image data. Although the image capturing device 10 does not include a display in this embodiment, the image capturing device 10 may include a display. The microphone 108 converts sounds into audio data (signal). The audio processor 109 acquires the audio data output from the microphone 108 via an I/F bus and performs predetermined processing on the audio data.

The CPU 111 controls the entire operation of the image capturing device 10 and also performs certain processing. The ROM 112 stores various programs for the CPU 111. The SRAM 113 and the DRAM 114 each operate as a work memory to store programs to be executed by the CPU 111 or data being processed. More specifically, the DRAM 114 stores image data being processed by the image processor 104 or data of the equirectangular projection image on which processing has been performed.

The operation device 115 generally refers to various operation keys, a power switch, a shutter button, a touch panel having both the display and operation functions, and the like. The user operates the operation device 115 to input various image capturing modes, image capturing conditions, or the like.

The input/output I/F 116 generally refers to an interface circuit such as a USB I/F that allows the image capturing device 10 to communicate with an external medium such as a Secure Digital (SD) card or a personal computer. The input/output I/F 116 may be either wired or wireless. The data of the equirectangular projection image, which is stored in the DRAM 114, is stored in an external medium via the input/output I/F 116 or transmitted to an external terminal (or apparatus) via the input/output I/F 116, as appropriate.

The short-range communication circuit 117 communicates with an external terminal (or apparatus) via the antenna 117a of the image capturing device 10 using short-range wireless communication technology such as near-field communication (NFC), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The short-range communication circuit 117 is capable of transmitting the data of the equirectangular projection image to an external terminal (or apparatus).

The electronic compass 118 calculates an orientation of the image capturing device from the Earth's magnetism and outputs orientation information. The orientation information is an example of related information (metadata) in compliance with Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) and is used for image processing such as image correction of captured images. The related information also includes data such as the date and time when the image is captured, and the data size of the image data. The gyro sensor 119 detects a change in angle of the image capturing device 10 (roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle) with movement of the image capturing device 10. The change in angle is an example of related information (metadata) in compliance with EXIF and is used for image processing such as image correction of captured images. The acceleration sensor 120 detects acceleration in three axial directions. The image capturing device 10 calculates the position (an angle with respect to the direction of gravity) of the image capturing device 10, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 120. The image capturing device 10 provided with the acceleration sensor 120 improves the accuracy of image correction. The network I/F 121 is an interface for performing data communication using the communication network 100 such as the Internet.

Hardware Configuration of Distribution Terminal

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of the distribution terminal 30. The hardware components of the distribution terminal 30 are denoted by reference numerals in the 300s. The distribution terminal 30 is constructed by a computer. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the distribution terminal 30 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a random access memory (RAM) 303, a hard disk (HD) 304, a hard disk drive (HDD) controller 305, a display 306, an external device connection I/F 308, a network I/F 309, a bus line 310, a keyboard 311, a pointing device 312, a digital versatile disk rewritable (DVD-RW) drive 314, a media I/F 316, an audio input/output I/F 317, a microphone 318, a speaker 319, and a short-range communication circuit 320.

The CPU 301 controls the entire operation of the distribution terminal 30. The ROM 302 stores a program used for driving the CPU 301, such as an initial program loader (IPL). The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301. The HD 304 stores various data such as a program. The HDD controller 305 controls reading or writing of various data from or to the HD 304 under the control of the CPU 301. The display 306 displays various kinds of information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, and an image. The display 306 is an example of a display device. In one example, the display 306 is a touch panel display provided with an input device. The external device connection I/F 308 is an interface for connecting to various external devices. Examples of the external devices include, but are not limited to, a USB memory and a printer. The network I/F 309 is an interface for performing data communication using the communication network 100. The bus line 310 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting the hardware elements illustrated in FIG. 12, such as the CPU 301.

The keyboard 311 is a type of input device provided with a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerals, various instructions, or the like. The pointing device 312 is a type of input device for selecting or executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, or moving a cursor being displayed. The input device is not limited to the keyboard 311 and the pointing device 312 and may be a touch panel, a voice input device, or the like. The DVD-RW drive 314 controls reading or writing of various data from or to a DVD-RW 313, which is an example of a removable recording medium. The removable recording medium is not limited to the DVD-RW and may be a digital versatile disk recordable (DVD-R), a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), or the like. The media I/F 316 controls reading or writing (storing) of data from or to a recording medium 315 such as a flash memory. The microphone 318 is a type of built-in sound collector for receiving input sounds. The audio input/output I/F 317 is a circuit that processes input and output of an audio signal between the microphone 318 and the speaker 319 under the control of the CPU 301. The short-range communication circuit 320 is a communication circuit for performing communication with an external terminal (or apparatus) using short-range wireless communication technology such as NFC, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.

Hardware Configuration of Communication Management Apparatus

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of the communication management apparatus 50. The hardware components of the communication management apparatus 50 are denoted by reference numerals in the 500s in parentheses. The communication management apparatus 50 is constructed by a computer. As illustrated in FIG. 12, since the communication management apparatus 50 has a configuration similar to that of the distribution terminal 30, the description of the hardware components will be omitted.

Hardware Configuration of Communication Terminal

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration of the communication terminal 70. The hardware components of the communication terminal 70 are denoted by reference numerals in the 700s in parentheses. The communication terminal 70 is constructed by a computer. As illustrated in FIG. 12, since the communication terminal 70 has a configuration similar to that of the distribution terminal 30, the description of the hardware components will be omitted.

Further, each of the programs described above may be recorded in a file in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium for distribution. Examples of the recording medium include a compact disc recordable (CD-R), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray Disc, an SD card, and a USB memory. In addition, the recording medium may be provided in the form of a program product to users within a certain country or outside that country. For example, in the communication management apparatus 50, a program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is executed to implement a communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Functional Configuration of Image Communication System

Next, the functional configuration of the image communication system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 20B. FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating an example functional configuration of the image communication system 1. FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate devices and terminals related to the processes or operations described below among the devices and terminals illustrated in FIG. 9.

Functional Configuration of Image Capturing Device

First, the functional configuration of the image capturing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The image capturing device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an acceptance unit 12, an imaging unit 13, a sound collection unit 14, and a storing and reading unit 19. The communication unit 11, the acceptance unit 12, the imaging unit 13, the sound collection unit 14, and the storing and reading unit 19 are functions or means implemented by any one of the hardware elements illustrated in FIG. 11 operating in accordance with instructions from the CPU 111 according to an image capturing device program loaded onto the DRAM 114 from the SRAM 113. The image capturing device 10 further includes a storage unit 1000. The storage unit 1000 is constructed by the ROM 112, the SRAM 113, and the DRAM 114 illustrated in FIG. 11. The storage unit 1000 stores the globally unique identifier (GUID) of the image capturing device 10.

The communication unit 11 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 111 and communicates various data or information to another apparatus or terminal. The communication unit 11 performs, for example, data communication with another apparatus or terminal through the short-range communication circuit 117 using short-range wireless communication technology. Further, the communication unit 11 performs, for example, data communication with another apparatus or terminal through the input/output I/F 116 via various cables or the like. The communication unit 11 further performs data communication with another apparatus or terminal through the network I/F 121 via the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 12 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 111 on the operation device 115 and accepts various selections or inputs from a user. The imaging unit 13 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 111 on the imaging device 101, the image processor 104, and the imaging controller 105 and captures an object such as scenery to acquire captured image data. The sound collection unit 14 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 111 on the microphone 108 and the audio processor 109 and collects sounds around the image capturing device 10.

The storing and reading unit 19 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 111 and stores various data (or information) in the storage unit 1000 or reads various data (or information) from the storage unit 1000.

Functional Configuration of Distribution Terminal

Next, the functional configuration of the distribution terminal 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The distribution terminal 30 includes a transmitting/receiving unit 31, an acceptance unit 32, an image and audio processing unit 33, a display control unit 34, a determination unit 35, a creation unit 36, a communication unit 37, and a storing and reading unit 39. The transmitting/receiving unit 31, the acceptance unit 32, the image and audio processing unit 33, the display control unit 34, the determination unit 35, the creation unit 36, the communication unit 37, and the storing and reading unit 39 are functions or means implemented by any one of the hardware elements illustrated in FIG. 12 operating in accordance with instructions from the CPU 301 according to a distribution terminal program loaded onto the RAM 303 from the HD 304. The distribution terminal 30 further includes a storage unit 3000. The storage unit 3000 is constructed by the ROM 302, the RAM 303, and the HD 304 illustrated in FIG. 12.

The transmitting/receiving unit 31 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 on the network I/F 309 and transmits and receives various data or information to and from another apparatus or terminal via the communication network 100.

The acceptance unit 32 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 on the keyboard 311 or the pointing device 312 and accepts various selections or inputs from a user.

The image and audio processing unit 33 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 and performs image processing on captured image data acquired by the image capturing device 10 capturing an object. The image and audio processing unit 33 further performs audio processing on audio data of a voice signal, which is obtained by converting the voice of the user using the microphone 318. For example, the image and audio processing unit 33 performs image processing on captured image data received from the image capturing device 10, based on image type information such as the source name so that the display control unit 34 causes the display 306 to display an image. Specifically, when the image type information indicates the special image, the image and audio processing unit 33 converts the captured image data (e.g., data of hemispherical images as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B) into spherical image data as illustrated in FIG. 4B to create spherical image data. Further, the image and audio processing unit 33 outputs a voice signal of audio data distributed from another terminal via the communication management apparatus 50 to the speaker 319 and outputs a voice from the speaker 319.

The display control unit 34 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 and causes the display 306 to display various images, characters, or the like. The determination unit 35 is implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 and performs various determinations. For example, the determination unit 35 determines the image type of captured image data received from the image capturing device 10.

The creation unit 36 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 and creates a source name, which is an example of the image type information, in accordance with a naming rule, based on the general image or special image (that is, the spherical image) determined by the determination unit 35. For example, if the determination unit 35 determines that the image type is the general image, the creation unit 36 creates the source name “Video” indicating the general image. By contrast, if the determination unit 35 determines that the image type is the special image, the creation unit 36 creates the source name “Video_Omni” indicating the special image.

The communication unit 37 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 on the short-range communication circuit 320 and communicates with the communication unit 11 of the image capturing device 10 using short-range wireless communication technology such as NFC, Bluetooth, or WiFi. In the foregoing description, the communication unit 37 and the transmitting/receiving unit 31 are configured as separate communication units. In another example, the communication unit 37 and the transmitting/receiving unit 31 may share a single communication unit.

The storing and reading unit 39 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 301 and stores various data (or information) in the storage unit 3000 or reads various data (or information) from the storage unit 3000.

Image Capturing Device Management Table

FIG. 15A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image capturing device management table. The storage unit 3000 includes an image capturing device management database (DB) 3001. The image capturing device management DB 3001 is implemented by an image capturing device management table illustrated in FIG. 15A. The image capturing device management table stores and manages a vendor ID and a product ID in the GUID of an image capturing device capable of obtaining two hemispherical images from which a spherical image is generated. Examples of the GUID include a vendor ID (VID) and a product ID (PID), which are used by a USB device. The vendor ID and the product ID may be stored when the distribution terminal 30 is shipped from the factory or may be additionally stored after the distribution terminal 30 is shipped from the factory, for example.

Image Type Management Table

FIG. 15B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table. The storage unit 3000 includes an image type management DB 3002. The image type management DB 3002 is implemented by an image type management table illustrated in FIG. 15B. The image type management table stores, for each image data ID, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of an image capturing device, which is an example of an address of an image capturing device, and a source name (image type information) in association with each other. The image data ID is an example of image data identification information for identifying image data of an image to be distributed. The IP address of the image capturing device indicates the IP address of the image capturing device 10 that has captured the image data indicated by the associated image data ID. The source name is a name for specifying the image capturing device 10 that has captured the image data indicated by the associated image data ID, and is an example of image type information. The source name is a name created by the distribution terminal 30 in accordance with a predetermined naming rule.

The illustrated example indicates that four image capturing devices having the IP addresses “2.1.2.3”, “2.1.1.5”, “2.1.5.4”, and “2.1.5.6” have transmitted image data indicated by image data IDs “RS001”, “RS002”, “RS003”, and “RS004”, respectively. It is also indicated that the image types indicated by the source names of the four image capturing devices are “Video_Omni”, “Video_Omni”, “Video”, and “Video”, which indicate the image types “special image”, “special image”, “general image”, and “general image”, respectively. In this embodiment, the special image is the spherical image. The IP address is an example of address information, and the address information may be a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a terminal identification (ID), or the like. While the IP address is a simplified representation of the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address, the FP address may be an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address. In addition, data other than image data may be managed in association with the image data ID. Examples of the data other than image data include audio data, and document data to be used to share the screen between the distribution site and the viewing sites.

Functional Configuration of Communication Management Apparatus

Next, the functional configuration of the communication management apparatus 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The communication management apparatus 50 includes a transmitting/receiving unit 51, a selection unit 53, a determination unit 55, a generation unit 56, a distribution site management unit 57, and a storing and reading unit 59. The transmitting/receiving unit 51, the selection unit 53, the determination unit 55, the generation unit 56, the distribution site management unit 57, and the storing and reading unit 59 are functions or means implemented by any one of the hardware elements illustrated in FIG. 12 operating in accordance with instructions from the CPU 501 according to a communication management apparatus program loaded onto the RAM 503 from the HD 504. The communication management apparatus 50 further includes a storage unit 5000. The storage unit 5000 is constructed by the ROM 502, the RAM 503, and the HD 504 illustrated in FIG. 12.

The transmitting/receiving unit 51 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 on the network I/F 509 and transmits and receives various data or information to and from another apparatus via the communication network 100.

The selection unit 53 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 and selects an image capturing device 10 in response to a request from the communication terminal 70. Specifically, the selection unit 53 selects a specific image capturing device 10 among the plurality of image capturing devices 10, based on, for example, coordinate information of a point of interest P, which is accepted by the communication terminal 70, arrangement position information of the plurality of image capturing devices 10, and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions of an area accepted by the communication terminal 70. The selected specific image capturing device 10 is referred to as “supplementary image capturing device”, in particular. In this embodiment, the supplementary image capturing device functions as an example of a second image capturing device. In this embodiment, the selection unit 53 functions as an example of selection means.

The determination unit 55 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 and performs various determinations.

The generation unit 56 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 and generates an image data ID and predetermined-area information. The generation unit 56 generates, for example, predetermined-area information. The predetermined-area information indicates a predetermined area (e.g., the predetermined area T illustrated in FIG. and the like) in an image captured by the image capturing device 10 selected by the selection unit 53. An image in which the entire captured image is displayed (e.g., the spherical image CE illustrated in FIG. 5 and the like) is also referred to as “entire image”. The distribution site management unit 57 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 and manages distribution site information indicating the state of the distribution site.

The storing and reading unit 59 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 501 and stores various data (or information) in the storage unit 5000 or reads various data (or information) from the storage unit 5000.

Session Management Table

FIG. 16A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example session management table. The storage unit 5000 includes a session management DB 5001. The session management DB 5001 is implemented by a session management table illustrated in FIG. 16A. The session management table stores, for each session ID, a site ID and an IP address of a participant communication terminal in association with each other. The session ID is an example of session identification information for identifying a communication session for implementing image communication. The session ID is generated for each virtual floor. The session ID is also managed by the communication terminals 70 and is used when each of the communication terminals 70 selects a communication session. The site ID is an example of site identification information for identifying a distribution site. The IP address of the participant communication terminal indicates the IP address of a communication terminal 70 participating in a virtual floor indicated by the associated session ID.

Image Type Management Table

FIG. 16B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table. The storage unit 5000 includes an image type management DB 5002. The image type management DB 5002 is implemented by an image type management table illustrated in FIG. 16B. The image type management table stores the information managed by the image type management table illustrated in FIG. 15B and the same session ID as the session ID managed in the session management table illustrated in FIG. 16A in association with each other. The communication management apparatus 50 stores an image data ID, an IP address of an image capturing device, and image type information, which are the same as those managed in the distribution terminal 30 and the communication terminal 70, because, for example, when a new communication terminal 70 enters a virtual floor, the communication management apparatus 50 transmits information including the image type information to a communication terminal 70 that is already in video communication and the new communication terminal 70, which has newly participated in the video communication. As a result, the communication terminal 70 that is already in the video communication and the communication terminal 70 that has newly participated in the video communication do not have to transmit and receive such information including the image type information.

Predetermined-Area Management Table

FIG. 17A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example predetermined-area management table. The storage unit 5000 includes a predetermined-area management DB 5003. The predetermined-area management DB 5003 is implemented by a predetermined-area management table illustrated in FIG. 17A. The predetermined-area management table stores, for the IP address of each image capturing device (image source) from which captured image data is transmitted, an IP address of a communication terminal (image destination) to which the captured image data is transmitted, and predetermined-area information in association with each other. The predetermined-area information indicates a parameter of a predetermined-area image currently displayed on the communication terminal to which the captured image data is transmitted. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7, the predetermined-area information is a conversion parameter for converting the captured image into the image of the predetermined area T (the predetermined-area image Q) in the captured image.

For example, the information managed in the first row of the predetermined-area management table illustrated in FIG. 17A indicates that after the distribution terminal 30 receives captured image data obtained by the image capturing device 10 having the IP address “2.1.2.3”, the captured image data is transmitted from the distribution terminal 30 to the communication terminal 70 having the IP address “1.2.1.3” via the communication management apparatus 50. It is also managed that the distribution terminal 30 is a distribution terminal from which the four pieces of predetermined-area information in the first to fourth rows of the predetermined-area management table illustrated in FIG. 17A are transmitted.

When predetermined-area information including IP addresses in the same set as an already managed set of the IP address of an image capturing device from which captured image data is transmitted and the IP address of a communication terminal to which the captured image data is transmitted is newly received by the transmitting/receiving unit 51, the storing and reading unit 59 rewrites the already managed predetermined-area information to the newly received predetermined-area information.

Arrangement Information Management Table

FIG. 17B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example arrangement information management table. The storage unit 5000 includes an arrangement information management DB 5004. The arrangement information management DB 5004 is implemented by an arrangement information management table illustrated in FIG. 17B. The arrangement information management table stores, for each site ID for identifying a distribution site, an IP address of an image capturing device 10 arranged in the distribution site, coordinate values indicating the position at which the image capturing device 10 is arranged, and the arrangement direction of the image capturing device 10 in association with each other. The coordinate values are coordinate values on the map of the distribution site where the image capturing device 10 is arranged. The arrangement direction of the image capturing device 10 indicates the direction (angle) on the map in which the front surface of the image capturing device 10 faces. The arrangement direction is set to a desired direction (angle) by the administrator of the distribution terminal 30 or the distribution site.

Distribution-Site Management Table

FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example distribution-site management table. The storage unit 5000 includes a distribution site management DB 5005. The distribution site management DB 5005 is implemented by a distribution-site management table illustrated in FIG. 18. The distribution-site management table stores, for each site ID for identifying a distribution site, a site name and distribution site information in association with each other. The distribution site information indicates the state of the distribution site. The distribution site information includes a uniform resource locator (URL) for accessing map image data indicating a map of the distribution site and site coordinate information indicating the coordinate values of the distribution site. The communication terminal 70 accesses the URL transmitted from the communication management apparatus 50 to acquire the map image data and the site coordinate information of the distribution site. The URL is an example of storage destination information. The storage destination information is not limited to the URL and may be a uniform resource identifier (URI) or the like.

Weighting Coefficient Management Table

FIG. 19A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example weighting coefficient management table. The storage unit 5000 includes a weighting coefficient management DB 5006. The weighting coefficient management DB 5006 is implemented by a weighting coefficient management table illustrated in FIG. 19A. The weighting coefficient management table stores, for each reference image capturing device name indicating the name of a reference image capturing device, a coefficient and a supplementary image capturing device name, which indicates the name of a supplementary image capturing device, in association with each other. The reference image capturing device is an image capturing device 10 arranged at the position closest to a point of interest P (predetermined position) designated by a user. The supplementary image capturing device is an image capturing device 10 capable of capturing from the most different aspects a portion of the point of interest P for which an image is difficult for the reference image capturing device to capture. The coefficient is a value indicating the arrangement relationship between the reference image capturing device and the supplementary image capturing device.

The coefficient is set to a desired value in advance by the administrator who arranges the image capturing devices 10 at the distribution site A and the like or the administrator who manages the communication management apparatus 50. For example, for some pairs of supplementary image capturing device and the reference image capturing device, a coefficient of 10.0 is set due to presence of wall therebetween (specifically, CAM1 and CAM3, CAM 2 and CAM 3). In another example, for some pairs of supplementary image capturing device and the reference image capturing device, a coefficient of 5.0 is set due to presence of a partial wall therebetween.

Specific Weighting Coefficient Management Table

FIG. 19B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example specific weighting coefficient management table. The storage unit 5000 includes a specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007. The specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007 is implemented by a specific weighting coefficient management table illustrated in FIG. 19B. The specific weighting coefficient management table stores, for each reference image capturing device name indicating the name of a reference image capturing device, a specific coefficient and a supplementary image capturing device name, which indicates the name of a supplementary image capturing device, in association with each other. The specific coefficient is given as a value larger than any other coefficient in the weighting coefficient management table illustrated in FIG. 19A when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: (1) an obstacle (such as a wall) is present between the reference image capturing device and the supplementary image capturing device; and (2) the supplementary image capturing device has any abnormality or the like. The specific coefficient is also set to a desired value in advance by the administrator who arranges the image capturing devices 10 at the distribution site A and the like or the administrator who manages the communication management apparatus 50.

Functional Configuration of Communication Terminal

Next, the functional configuration of the communication terminal 70 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The communication terminal 70 includes a transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71, an acceptance unit 72, an image and audio processing unit 73, a display control unit 74, a determination unit 75, a creation unit 76, a point-of-interest specifying unit 77, a selection unit 81, a generation unit 82, and a storing and reading unit 79. The transmitting/receiving unit 71, the acceptance unit 72, the image and audio processing unit 73, the display control unit 74, the determination unit 75, the creation unit 76, the point-of-interest specifying unit 77, the selection unit 81, the generation unit 82, and the storing and reading unit 79 are functions or means implemented by any one of the hardware elements illustrated in FIG. 12 operating in accordance with instructions from the CPU 701 according to a communication terminal program loaded onto the RAM 703 from the HD 704. The communication terminal 70 further includes a storage unit 7000. The storage unit 7000 is constructed by the ROM 702, the RAM 703, and the HD 704 illustrated in FIG. 12.

The transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 on the network I/F 709 and transmits and receives various data or information to and from another apparatus or terminal via the communication network 100. The transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 receives, for example, captured image data distributed from the distribution terminal 30 via the communication management apparatus 50. Further, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 functions as, for example, an acquisition unit and acquires predetermined-area information. The predetermined-area information indicates a predetermined area including the point of interest P in an image captured by a specific image capturing device 10 selected based on the coordinate information (predetermined-position information) of the point of interest P, which is accepted by the acceptance unit 72, and the arrangement positions (arrangement position information) of the image capturing devices 10.

The acceptance unit 72 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 on the keyboard 711 or the pointing device 712 and accepts various selections or inputs from a user. For example, the acceptance unit 72 accepts input of the point of interest P, which is designated by the user, in a distribution site and the number of divisions into which a predetermined range (e.g., a circle having a radius r) centered on the point of interest P is divided from the point of interest P. In this embodiment, the acceptance unit 72 functions as, or has means for functioning as, an example of acceptance means.

The image and audio processing unit 73 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and performs image processing on captured image data distributed from the distribution terminal 30. The image and audio processing unit 73 further performs audio processing on audio data distributed from the distribution terminal 30. For example, to display on the display 706 an image of a predetermined area corresponding to predetermined-area information received by the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71, the image and audio processing unit 73 applies perspective projection conversion to the captured image (spherical image) using the predetermined-area information to generate a predetermined-area image corresponding to the predetermined-area information. Further, the image and audio processing unit 73 outputs a voice signal of audio data distributed from the distribution terminal 30 via the communication management apparatus 50 to the speaker 719 and outputs a voice from the speaker 719.

The display control unit 74 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and causes the display 706 to display various images, characters, or the like. For example, the display control unit 74 causes the display 706 to display the predetermined-area image generated by the image and audio processing unit 73.

The determination unit 75 is implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and performs various determinations. In this embodiment, the display control unit 74 functions as, or has means for functioning as, an example of display control means.

The creation unit 76 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and implements functions similar to those of the creation unit 36. The point-of-interest specifying unit 77 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and specifies the point of interest P in the distribution site where the image capturing devices 10 are arranged. For example, the point-of-interest specifying unit 77 specifies the coordinate information of the point of interest P designated by the user on the map image of the distribution site.

The selection unit 81 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and implements functions similar to those of the selection unit 53. The generation unit 82 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and generates predetermined-area information. For example, the generation unit 82 generates predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area in an image captured by an image capturing device 10 selected by the selection unit 81. Further, the generation unit 82 functions as, for example, an acquisition unit and acquires predetermined-area information. The predetermined-area information indicates a predetermined area including the point of interest P in an image captured by a specific image capturing device 10 selected based on the coordinate information of the point of interest P, which is accepted by the acceptance unit 72, and the arrangement positions of the image capturing devices 10.

The storing and reading unit 79 is mainly implemented by processing performed by the CPU 701 and stores various data (or information) in the storage unit 7000 or reads various data (or information) from the storage unit 7000.

Image Type Management Table

FIG. 20A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image type management table. The storage unit 7000 includes an image type management DB 7001. The image type management DB 7001 is implemented by an image type management table illustrated in FIG. 20A. Since the image type management table has substantially the same data configuration as that of the image type management table illustrated in FIG. 15B, the description thereof will be omitted.

Predetermined-Area Management Table

FIG. 20B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example predetermined-area management table. The storage unit 7000 includes a predetermined-area management DB 7002. The predetermined-area management DB 7002 is implemented by a predetermined-area management table illustrated in FIG. 20B. The predetermined-area management table stores, for the IP address of each image capturing device that has obtained captured image data, predetermined-area information in association with each other. The predetermined-area information indicates a currently displayed predetermined-area image. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7, the predetermined-area information is a conversion parameter for converting the captured image into the image of the predetermined area T (the predetermined-area image Q) in the captured image.

The relationship between the point of interest P and a plurality of image capturing devices 10 arranged at the distribution site A will now be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 27.

Relationship Between Point of Interest P and Image Capturing Devices when Number of Divisions is Two

FIG. 21 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between the point of interest P and the image capturing devices 10 when the number of divisions is two. For example, at the distribution site A (area A) in the image communication system 1 illustrated in FIG. 10, the plurality of image capturing devices 10A are arranged regularly in a grid pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 21. Based on the arrangement of the plurality of image capturing devices 10A, the generation unit 56 generates a two-dimensional arrangement image (map image) based on the coordinate values of each of the image capturing devices 10A, for example. At this time, the user who uses the communication terminal 70 operates a “point of interest” button 605 and a “number of divisions” button 670 (see FIG. 34). The “point of interest” button 605 indicates a predetermined position. The “number of divisions” button 670 is used to divide a predetermined range (e.g., a circle having a radius r) centered on the point of interest P from the point of interest P. The user can operate the “point of interest” button 605 while referring to a schematic image 650 corresponding to a two-dimensional arrangement image displayed on a site display screen 600 of the communication terminal 70, which will be described below. The selection unit 53 selects, among the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 arranged in the circle having the radius r, the image capturing device 10A-1, which is arranged at the position closest to the point of interest P.

Then, the selection unit 53 extends a virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P (predetermined position) and the image capturing device 10A-1 to divide the two-dimensional arrangement image generated by the generation unit 56 into two areas. The two-dimensional arrangement image obtained in the way described above is an example in the case of the number of divisions being set to two.

Process for Selecting Image Capturing Device when Number of Divisions is Two

FIG. 22 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices 10A when the number of divisions is two. As illustrated in the example in FIG. 22, the angle (azimuth angle) between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-2 is 101 degrees. The angle between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-3 is 121 degrees. The angle between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-4 is 163 degrees. The distribution site A (area A) is divided into two areas by a thick broken line obtained by extending the virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P and the image capturing device 10A-1.

Relationship Between Point of Interest P and Image Capturing Devices when Number of Divisions is Three

FIG. 23 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between the point of interest P and the image capturing devices 10 when the number of divisions is three. For simplicity of description, the arrangement of the image capturing devices 10A at the distribution site A illustrated in FIG. 23 is similar to that in FIG. 21. In this state, in response to the user who uses the communication terminal 70 operating the “point of interest” button 605 and the “number of divisions” button 670, the selection unit 53 extends a virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P (predetermined position) and the image capturing device 10A-1 to divide the two-dimensional arrangement image generated by the generation unit 56 into three areas such that the two-dimensional arrangement image is separated by 120 degrees. The two-dimensional arrangement image obtained in the way described above is an example in the case of the number of divisions being set to three.

Process for Selecting Image Capturing Device when Number of Divisions is Three

FIG. 24 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices 10A when the number of divisions is three. The arrangement of the image capturing devices 10A illustrated in FIG. 24 is similar to that of the image capturing devices 10A illustrated in FIG. 22. In FIG. 24, the distribution site A (area A) is divided into three areas by thick broken lines based on the virtual line segment (thick broken line) connecting the point of interest P and the image capturing device 10A-1 such that the thick broken lines each have an angle of 120 degrees.

Process for Selecting Image Capturing Device when Number of Divisions is Three (in Presence of Obstacle)

FIG. 25 is a view schematically describing an example selection process based on an angle between image capturing devices 10A when the number of divisions is three. In the example illustrated in FIG. 25, a wall is present between the image capturing device 10A-3 and the point of interest P.

Relationship Between Point of Interest P and Image Capturing Devices when Number of Divisions is Four

FIG. 26 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between the point of interest P and the image capturing devices 10 when the number of divisions is four. The arrangement of the image capturing devices 10A at the distribution site A illustrated in FIG. 26 is also similar to that in FIGS. 21 and 23. In this state, in response to the user who uses the communication terminal 70 operating the “point of interest” button 605 and the “number of divisions” button 670, the selection unit 53 extends a virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P (predetermined position) and the image capturing device 10A-1 to divide the two-dimensional arrangement image generated by the generation unit 56 into four areas such that the two-dimensional arrangement image is separated by 90 degrees. The two-dimensional arrangement image obtained in the way described above is an example in the case of the number of divisions being set to four.

FIG. 27 is a view schematically describing an example relationship between the point of interest P and image capturing devices 10 arranged in irregular positions. As illustrated in FIG. 27, the image capturing devices 10 may be arranged in irregular positions at the distribution site A. Also in this case, the selection unit 53 can divide, in accordance with the number of divisions given by the user, that is, two, three, four, or the like, the area into the given number of divisions, on the basis of the positional relationship between the image capturing devices 10 and the point of interest P in an area having the radius r.

Process or Operation According to Embodiment

Session Participation Process

Next, a process or operation of the image communication system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 28 to 36. In the following description, a captured image of the distribution site A is distributed to the communication terminal 70, by way of example. However, similar processing is performed for distribution of an image from any other distribution site such as the distribution site B. First, a process for participating in a specific communication session will be described with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29. FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for participating in a specific communication session in the image communication system 1. FIG. 29 is a view illustrating an example screen for selecting a communication session.

First, a user (e.g., the user C1) at the viewing site C performs an operation of displaying a selection screen for selecting a communication session. In response to the acceptance unit 72 accepting the operation of displaying the selection screen, the display control unit 74 of the communication terminal 70C causes the display 706 to display a selection screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 29 (step S11). The selection screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 29 displays selection buttons 810a, 810b, 810c, etc. indicating floors A1, B1, B2, etc. to be selected, respectively. The selection button 810a and the other selection buttons are associated with respective session IDs.

When the user C1 selects a selection button for the desired virtual floor that is a distribution site (here, the selection button 810a), the acceptance unit 72 accepts selection of a communication session (step S12). Then, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 transmits to the communication management apparatus 50 a participation request to participate in the communication session with the distribution site (step S13). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the participation request. The participation request includes a session ID indicating the communication session for which selection is accepted in step S12, and the IP address of the communication terminal 70C, which is the request sender terminal.

Then, the storing and reading unit 59 of the communication management apparatus 50 adds, in the session management table (the session management DB 5001, see FIG. 16A), the IP address received in step S13 to the “IP address of participant terminal” field for the record of the same session ID as the session ID received in step S13 to perform a process for participating in the communication session (step S14). Further, the storing and reading unit 59 reads, from the session management DB 5001, the site ID associated with the session ID of the communication session for which the participation process is performed. Then, the storing and reading unit 59 searches the distribution-site management table (the distribution site management DB 5005, see FIG. 18) using the site ID read in step S14 as a search key to read the distribution site information associated with the same site ID as the read site ID (step S15). Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits a participation request response to the communication terminal 70C (step S16). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of the communication terminal 70C receives the participation request response. The participation request response includes the session ID received in step S13, the distribution site information read in step S15, and a participation process result. The participation process result includes the site ID read in step S14. In the following, a description will be given of a case in which the participation process is successful. Through a process similar to the process illustrated in FIG. 28, the communication terminal 70D at the viewing site D performs a process for participating in a communication session.

Process for Managing Image Type Information

Next, a process for managing the image type information will be described with reference to FIG. 30. FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process for managing image type information in the image communication system 1.

First, when a user at the distribution site A connects the image capturing device 10A to the distribution terminal 30A, the storing and reading unit 19 of the image capturing device 10A reads the GUID of the image capturing device 10A from the storage unit 1000. Then, the communication unit 11 of the image capturing device 10A transmits the GUID of the image capturing device 10A to the distribution terminal 30A (step S31). Thus, the communication unit 37 of the distribution terminal 30A receives the GUID of the image capturing device 10A.

Then, the determination unit 35 of the distribution terminal 30A determines whether the same vendor ID and product ID as the vendor ID and product ID in the GUID received in step S31 are managed in the image capturing device management table (the image capturing device management DB 3001, see FIG. 15A) to determine the image type (step S32). Specifically, if the same vendor ID and product ID are managed in the image capturing device management DB 3001, the determination unit 35 determines that the image capturing device 10A is configured to capture a special image (here, a spherical image). By contrast, if the same vendor ID and product ID are not managed in the image capturing device management table (the image capturing device management DB 3001, see FIG. 15A), the determination unit 35 determines that the image capturing device 10A is configured to capture a general image.

Then, the storing and reading unit 39 stores, in the image type management table (the image type management DB 3002, see FIG. 15B), the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and image type information indicating the determination result obtained in step S32 in association with each other (step S33). In this state, no image data ID is associated with the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and the image type information. The image type information is, for example, a source name determined in accordance with a predetermined naming rule or an image type (general image or special image).

Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 transmits to the communication management apparatus 50 an additional request for the image type information (step S34). The additional request for the image type information includes the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and the image type information, which are stored in step S33, and the site ID of the distribution site A. Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the additional request for the image type information.

Then, the storing and reading unit 59 of the communication management apparatus 50 searches the session management table (the session management DB 5001, see FIG. 16A) using the site ID received in step S34 as a search key to read the corresponding session ID (step S35).

Then, the generation unit 56 generates a unique image data ID (step S36). Then, the storing and reading unit 59 stores, in the image type management table (the image type management DB 5002, see FIG. 16B), the session ID read in step S35, the image data ID generated in step S36, and the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and the image type information received in step S34 in association with each other as a new record (step S37). Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits the image data ID generated in step S36 to the distribution terminal 30A (step S38). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 of the distribution terminal 30A receives the image data ID.

Then, the storing and reading unit 39 of the distribution terminal 30A stores, in the image type management table (the image type management DB 3002, see FIG. 15B), the image data ID received in step S38 in association with the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and the image type information stored in step S33 (step S39).

On the other hand, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 transmits an image type information addition notification to the communication terminal 70C (step S40). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of the communication terminal 70C receives the image type information addition notification. The image type information addition notification includes the image data ID generated in step S36, and the IP address of the image capturing device 10A and the image type information stored in step S37.

Then, the storing and reading unit 79 of the communication terminal 70C stores, in the image type management table (the image type management DB 7001, see FIG. 20A), the image data ID, the IP address of the image capturing device 10A, and the image type information, which are received in step S40, in association with each other as a new record (step S41). Accordingly, the distribution terminal 30A and the communication terminal 70C can share the same information in the image type management DBs 3002 and 7001, respectively. The image type information addition notification is also transmitted to another communication terminal, namely, the communication terminal 70D, and is stored in the image type management DB 7001 of the communication terminal 70D.

Process for Communicating Captured Image Data

Next, a process for transmitting the captured image data and audio data obtained at the distribution site A to the communication terminals 70 (i.e., the communication terminals 70C and 70D) via the communication management apparatus 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 31. FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for communicating captured image data and audio data in the image communication system 1. FIG. 31 illustrates an example in which captured image data acquired by one image capturing device 10 is distributed to the communication terminals 70. However, similar processing is performed when a plurality of pieces of captured image data acquired by other image capturing devices 10 arranged in the distribution site are distributed.

First, the communication unit 11 of the image capturing device 10A transmits to the distribution terminal 30A captured image data acquired by capturing an object or surroundings such as scenery and audio data acquired by collecting sounds (step S51). Thus, the communication unit 37 of the distribution terminal 30A receives the captured image data and the audio data. In this case, since the image capturing device 10A is capable of obtaining two hemispherical images from which a spherical image is generated, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the captured image data includes data of two hemispherical images.

Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 of the distribution terminal 30A transmits to the communication management apparatus 50 the captured image data and the audio data sent from the image capturing device 10A (step S52). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the captured image data, the audio data, and the image data ID. An image data ID for identifying the captured image data to be transmitted and received is also transmitted and received.

Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 transmits the captured image data and the audio data to the communication terminals (the communication terminals 70C and 70D) participating in the same session as the session in which the distribution terminal 30A is participating (steps S53 and S54). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of each of the communication terminals 70C and 70D receives the captured image data and the audio data. The image data ID for identifying the captured image data to be transmitted and received is also transmitted and received.

Process for Displaying Point of Interest P

Next, a process for displaying an image of the point of interest P in a distribution site, which is designated by a user at a viewing site, will be described with reference to FIGS. 32 to 36. FIG. 32 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example process for displaying the point of interest P in the image communication system 1. FIG. 32 illustrates an example in which the communication terminal 70C at the viewing site C displays a captured image distributed from the distribution terminal 30A. Similar processing is performed when the captured image is displayed on the communication terminal 70D at the viewing site D, which is another viewing site.

First, the display control unit 74 of the communication terminal 70C uses the distribution site information received in step S16 to cause the display 706 to display a site display screen 600 indicating the situation of the distribution site A (step S71). FIG. 34 is a view illustrating an example site display screen displayed on the communication terminal 70C. The site display screen 600 illustrated in FIG. 34 displays a map image indicating the situation of a distribution site.

The site display screen 600 illustrated in FIG. 34 includes a tour image 610 for viewing a spherical image of the distribution site to enable remote viewers to see the distribution site, a point-of-view change icon 630 for changing the point of view to a predetermined image capturing point in the tour image 610, a cross (or a star or any other suitable mark) 635 indicating the point of interest P, a schematic image 650 indicating a schematic diagram of the distribution site, the “point of interest” button 605, a “cancel” button 609, and the “number of divisions” button 670. The “point of interest” button 605 is operated to display the point of interest P in the distribution site. The “cancel” button 609 is operated to terminate the viewing of the distribution site. The “number of divisions” button 670 is used to divide an area of the distribution site centered on the point of interest P in the distribution site (from the point of interest P). The “number of divisions” button 670 is operated to display a number-of-divisions setting screen 675, which is a pop-up window in this example, near the “number of divisions” button 670. The number-of-divisions setting screen 675 includes an input field that follows “Number of divisions=” to enter the number of divisions. The user enters the desired value (e.g., 2, 3, or the like) in the input field and then operates an “OK” button. The user can operate a “cancel” button to change or remove the entered value.

The tour image 610 and the schematic image 650 are displayed using the map image data included in the distribution site information received in step S16. The tour image 610 is an image of the distribution site, which is captured by the image capturing device 10 in advance. The user C1 can operate the point-of-view change icon 630 to understand the general arrangement and the like of the distribution site. The tour image 610 is described herein as being displayed using the map image data included in the distribution site information received in step S16. However, the tour image 610 may be configured to display captured image data of the distribution site, which is received in real time.

The cross 635 in the schematic image 650 functions as a point-of-view position icon indicating the current display position of the tour image 610. For example, the user C1 operates the point-of-view change icon 630 using a pointer p1 while viewing the tour image 610 and the schematic image 650. As a result, the user C1 is able to view a desired portion in the distribution site.

Then, the user C1 operates the point-of-view change icon 630 using the pointer p1 and operates the “point of interest” button 605 such that the acceptance unit 72 accepts the designation (input) of the point of interest P (step S72). The acceptance unit 72 may accept the designation of the point of interest P in response to a click or double-click operation of the user C1 using a mouse, which is an example of an input device.

The user C1 further operates the pointing device 712 to operate the “number of divisions” button 670. As a result, the display control unit 74 displays the number-of-divisions setting screen 675 on the site display screen 600. In response to the display of the number-of-divisions setting screen 675, the user C1 enters the number of divisions n (e.g., 2, 3, or the like) and then operates the “OK” button such that the acceptance unit 72 accepts the input of the number of divisions (step S73).

Then, the point-of-interest specifying unit 77 specifies point-of-interest coordinates, which are the coordinates of the point of interest P for which the designation is accepted in step S72 (step S74). The point-of-interest coordinates specified by the point-of-interest specifying unit 77 are the coordinates of the central point of the tour image 610 being displayed when the designation of the point of interest P is accepted in step S72. The point-of-interest coordinates may be coordinates indicating the position of the pointer p1 in the tour image 610.

The transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 transmits to the communication management apparatus 50 an image-capturing-device selection request indicating a request for selecting an image capturing device 10 (step S75). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the image-capturing-device selection request transmitted from the communication terminal 70C. The image-capturing-device selection request includes the point-of-interest coordinates specified in step S74, the number of divisions n received in step S73, and the site ID received in step S16.

Process for Selecting Image Capturing Device

Then, the communication management apparatus 50 executes a process for selecting an image capturing device 10 in response to the image-capturing-device selection request received in step S75 (step S76). The process in step S76 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 33 and 21 to 26. FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for selecting an image capturing device.

First, the storing and reading unit 59 searches the distribution-site management table (the distribution site management DB 5005, see FIG. 18) using the site ID received in step S75 as a search key to read the distribution site information associated with the same site ID as the received site ID (step S101).

Then, the selection unit 53 divides the distribution site centered on the point of interest P (predetermined position) into a plurality of areas (from the point of interest P), based on the point-of-interest coordinates and the number of divisions n both received in step S75 (step S102). Specifically, the selection unit 53 divides the entire area of the distribution site into two areas using the received point-of-interest coordinates as a starting point, based on the site coordinate information included in the distribution site information read in step S101 and the number-of-division information (the number of divisions n) accepted in step S73. In the example illustrated in FIG. 21, the point of interest P designated by the user C1 is indicated by a black circle.

Then, the storing and reading unit 59 searches the arrangement information management table (the arrangement information management DB 5004, see FIG. 17B) using the site ID received in step S75 as a search key to read the arrangement information associated with the same site ID as the received site ID (step S103).

Then, the selection unit 53 selects image capturing devices 10 arranged near the point-of-interest coordinates indicating the coordinates of the point of interest P, based on the coordinate values indicated by the arrangement information read in step S103 (step S104). Specifically, the selection unit 53 extends a virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P (predetermined position) and the image capturing device 10A-1 to divide the two-dimensional arrangement image generated by the generation unit 56 into two areas. To draw a circle having the radius r, the selection unit 53 sets the value of the radius r such that a circle having the radius r includes at least two image capturing devices 10 that are relatively close to the point of interest P. To set the value of the radius r, the selection unit 53 can calculate, from the coordinate values of the point of interest P and the respective coordinate values of the image capturing devices 10 that are arranged near the point of interest P, the distance between each of the image capturing devices 10 and the point of interest P. Then, the selection unit 53 selects the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 as in-range image capturing devices 10 arranged near the point-of-interest coordinates indicating the coordinates of the point of interest P.

In this embodiment, the image capturing device 10A-1, which is arranged at the position closest to the point of interest P and selected in the processing of step S104, is referred to as “reference image capturing device”. The reference image capturing device 10A-1 functions as, or has means for functioning as, an example of a first image capturing device.

Then, the selection unit 53 executes a process for selecting a supplementary image capturing device from among the in-range image capturing devices 10 (step S105). The supplementary image capturing device is capable of capturing a portion of an object at the point of interest P for which an image is difficult for the reference image capturing device 10A-1 to satisfactorily capture. The supplementary image capturing device functions as an example of a second image capturing device.

Process for Selecting Supplementary Image Capturing Device

FIG. 35 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for selecting a supplementary image capturing device. First, the selection unit 53 draws a predetermined range (e.g., a circle having a radius r) centered on the point of interest P. Then, the selection unit 53 selects, among the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 arranged in the circle having the radius r, the image capturing device 10A-1, which is arranged at the position closest to the point of interest P (step S105-1). At this time, in the example illustrated in FIG. 21, the selection unit 53 calculates the distance between the coordinate values of each of the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 and the point-of-interest coordinates. Then, the selection unit 53 determines that the image capturing device 10A-1, which is arranged at the position closest to the coordinates of the point of interest P (or has the shortest distance from the point of interest P), is the reference image capturing device 10A-1 that is closest to the point of interest P in the predetermined range, and holds the identification information of the image capturing device 10A-1 (e.g., the IP address of the image capturing device 10A-1) and the calculated distance in the storage unit 5000. The distance between the coordinate values of each of the plurality of image capturing devices 10A and the point-of-interest coordinates is calculated using, for example, any desired known method for determining the distance in a straight line connecting the coordinates of each of the plurality of image capturing devices 10A and the coordinates of the point of interest P.

Then, the selection unit 53 calculates the angle between the reference image capturing device 10A-1 and another image capturing device near the point of interest P (step S105-2). Specifically, the selection unit 53 searches the arrangement information management table (the arrangement information management DB 5004, see FIG. 17B) using the IP address of each image capturing device as a search key to read the coordinate values of the corresponding image capturing device. Then, the selection unit 53 calculates angles between lines connecting the respective image capturing devices and the point of interest P. As a result, in the example illustrated in FIG. 22 described above, the angle (azimuth angle) at the point of interest P between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-2 is 101 degrees. The angle at the point of interest P between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-3 is 121 degrees. The angle at the point of interest P between the image capturing devices 10A-1 and 10A-4 is 163 degrees. The selection unit 53 holds the calculated angles in the storage unit 5000 in a manner similar to that for the distances calculated in the processing of step S105-2. The selection unit 53 can determine these angles by using, for example, the inverse trigonometric functions for the respective coordinate values. The distribution site A (area A) is divided into two areas by a thick broken line obtained by extending a virtual line segment connecting the point of interest P and the image capturing device 10A-1.

After calculating the angles between the image capturing devices in step S105-2, the selection unit 53 selects the following image capturing devices as candidate supplementary image capturing devices (second image capturing devices) that perform a supplementary operation to capture an image of a portion that is difficult for the reference image capturing device to capture (step S105-3). Specifically, in a case in which the number of divisions is n, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, the selection unit 53 selects, as a candidate supplementary image capturing device (second image capturing device), an image capturing device arranged at the angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of divisions n from a virtual line segment connecting the reference image capturing device (first image capturing device) and the point of interest P.

Case in which Number of Divisions is Two

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 22, the selection unit 53 selects an image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device and the reference image capturing device 10A-1 is closest to an angle obtained by 360°/n, that is, 360°/2=180°, as a candidate supplementary image capturing device to the reference image capturing device 10A-1. That is, the selection unit 53 selects an image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device and the reference image capturing device 10A-1 is closest to an angle of 180° as a candidate supplementary image capturing device. In this case, images captured by the reference image capturing device 10A-1 and the supplementary image capturing device 10A-4 can cover, for example, the most sides (different aspects) of the point of interest P. Thus, the selection unit 53 selects the image capturing device 10A-4 as a candidate supplementary image capturing device to the reference image capturing device 10A-1. However, the selection unit 53 may use an angle of 180 degrees with some margin (θ) as a determination criterion for selecting a supplementary image capturing device. That is, the selection unit 53 may select an image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device and the reference image capturing device 10A-1 is closest to an angle of 180°±θ as a candidate supplementary image capturing device.

In the following, a description will be given of a specific example of coefficient computation using a data table and selection of a supplementary image capturing device. As in the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A) and the specific weighting coefficient management table (the specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007, see FIG. 19B) described below, the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 are represented by CAM1, CAM2, CAM3, and CAM4, respectively, for convenience of description.

In a case in which four image capturing devices, CAM1, CAM2, CAM3, and CAM4, are arranged in a circle having a radius r centered on the point of interest P illustrated in FIG. 22, the selection unit 53 selects the following combination of two image capturing devices among the four image capturing devices. At this time, the angles at the point of interest P between the image capturing devices are as follows.

1. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1 and CAM2:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM2=101 degrees

2. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1 and CAM3:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM3=121 degrees

3. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1 and CAM4:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM4=163 degrees

The optimum positions of two image capturing devices that can view (capture) the point of interest P from different aspects are obtained when the angle at the point of interest P between the two image capturing devices is 180 degrees. Accordingly, the selection unit 53 calculates the absolute value of the difference between 180 degrees and the angle at the point of interest P between each pair of image capturing devices and selects the combination of image capturing devices for which the absolute value is smallest. The angles between the pairs of image capturing devices illustrated in FIG. 22 are as follows:

∥01−180|=79 in the case 1;

|121−180|=59 in the case 2; and

|163−180|=17 in the case 3.

The combination of two image capturing devices between which the absolute value of the difference is smallest is obtained as image capturing devices arranged such that the angle at the point of interest P therebetween is closest to 180°±θ. Accordingly, the selection unit 53 selects CAM4 in the case 3 as a candidate supplementary image capturing device to CAM1, which is the reference image capturing device.

In this state, the selection unit 53 performs coefficient computation using at least one data table among the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A) and the specific weighting coefficient management table (the specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007, see FIG. 19B) (step S105-4). That is, the selection unit 53 determines the image capturing device 10A-4 (CAM4) as a candidate supplementary image capturing device and thereafter performs the following three computations including, for example, the reference image capturing device 10A-1 (CAM1).

1. |101−180|*1.0=79

2. |121−180|*1.0=59 (In this case, however, since an obstacle such as a wall is absent in front of CAM3, computation is performed with the coefficient in the data table being set to 1.0)

3. |163−180|*1.0=17

Accordingly, also in the processing of step S105-4, the selection unit 53 determines the combination for which the computation result in the case 3 in which the angle between CAM1 and CAM4 is 1630 has the smallest value, and determines that a supplementary image capturing device to the image capturing device 10A-1 (CAM1) serving as the reference image capturing device is the image capturing device 10A-4 (CAM4). Then, the selection unit 53 exits the flowchart.

Case in which Number of Divisions is Three

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 23, a case in which the number of divisions is three will be described. The selection unit 53 selects an image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device and the reference image capturing device 10A-1 is closest to an angle obtained by 360°/n, that is, 360°/3=120°, as a candidate supplementary image capturing device to the reference image capturing device 10A-1 (step S105-3). However, the selection unit 53 may use an angle of 120 degrees with some margin (θ) as a determination criterion for selecting a supplementary image capturing device. That is, the selection unit 53 may select an image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device and the reference image capturing device 10A-1 is closest to an angle of 120°±θ as a candidate supplementary image capturing device. As described above, in a case in which the number of divisions is three, the selection unit 53 selects two image capturing devices as candidate supplementary image capturing devices to the reference image capturing device 10A-1.

In the following, a description will be given of a specific example of coefficient computation using a data table and selection of a supplementary image capturing device. As in the case in which the number of divisions is two, the image capturing devices 10A-1, 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4 are represented by CAM1, CAM2, CAM3, and CAM4, respectively, for convenience of description.

In a case in which four image capturing devices, CAM1, CAM2, CAM3, and CAM4, are arranged in a circle having a radius r centered on the point of interest P illustrated in FIG. 23, the selection unit 53 selects the following combination of three image capturing devices among the four image capturing devices. At this time, the angles at the point of interest P between the image capturing devices are as follows.

1. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1, CAM2, and CAM3:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM2=101 degrees;

Angle between CAM2 and CAM3=138 degrees; and

Angle between CAM3 and CAM1=121 degrees.

2. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1, CAM2, and CAM4:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM2=101 degrees;

Angle between CAM2 and CAM4=71 degrees; and

Angle between CAM4 and CAM1=188 degrees.

3. Case in which the selection unit 53 selects CAM1, CAM3, and CAM4:

Angle between CAM1 and CAM3=121 degrees;

Angle between CAM3 and CAM4=67 degrees; and

Angle between CAM4 and CAM1=172 degrees.

The optimum positions of three image capturing devices that can view (capture) the point of interest P from different aspects are obtained when the angle at the point of interest P between the three image capturing devices is 120 degrees. Accordingly, the selection unit 53 calculates the absolute value of the difference between 120 degrees and the angle at the point of interest P between the three image capturing devices and selects a combination of image capturing devices for which the absolute value is smallest. The angles between the image capturing devices illustrated in FIG. 24 are as follows:

|101−120|+|138−120|+|121−120|=38 in the case 1;

|101−120|+|71−120|+|188−120|=136 in the case 2; and

|121−120|+|67−120|+|72−120|=106 in the case 3.

The combination of three image capturing devices between which the absolute value of the difference is smallest is obtained as image capturing devices arranged such that the angle at the point of interest P therebetween is closest to 120°±θ. Accordingly, the selection unit 53 selects CAM2 and CAM3 in the case 1 as candidate supplementary image capturing devices to CAM1, which is the reference image capturing device.

In this state, as in the case in which the number of divisions is two, the selection unit 53 performs coefficient computation using at least one data table among the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A) and the specific weighting coefficient management table (the specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007, see FIG. 19B) (step S105-4). That is, the selection unit 53 determines the image capturing device 10A-2 (CAM2) and the image capturing device 10A-3 (CAM3) as candidate supplementary image capturing devices and thereafter performs the following computation.

Case in which Obstacle is Present in Front of Image Capturing Device

In a case in which an obstacle or the like is present between the point of interest P and an image capturing device when a supplementary image capturing device is to be selected, the selection unit 53 performs calculation using a predetermined coefficient so that a combination including the image capturing device is not likely to be selected. As illustrated in FIG. 25, it is assumed that a wall is present between the image capturing device 10A-3 and the point of interest P and that it is difficult for the image capturing device 10A-3 to capture an image of the point of interest P.

In this case, the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A) is used for each term of the calculation equation described above. A coefficient in the weighting coefficient management table can be set to a desired value in advance by the administrator who manages the communication management apparatus 50 or the like. The administrator or the like checks the plurality of image capturing devices arranged at the distribution site. Upon determining that a wall, an obstacle, or the like is present near an image capturing device, the administrator or the like sets a coefficient for the corresponding image capturing device to a larger value than coefficients for the other image capturing devices. As a result, the selection unit 53 performs a process for removing an image capturing device hidden by the wall, the obstacle, or the like among the in-range image capturing devices from candidate supplementary image capturing devices. This further enables the user who uses the communication terminal 70 to easily observe an object present at the point of interest P. In addition, upon detection of fault such as malfunctioning of an image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices, the selection unit 53 can remove the image capturing device from candidate supplementary image capturing devices. The reason for this is that the selection unit 53 selects a supplementary image capturing device having a small calculation result based on the computation equation described above.

The calculation results of the image capturing devices illustrated in FIG. 25 are as follows.

$1.❘101-120❘*1.+❘138-120❘*10.+❘121-120❘*10.=2.092.❘101-120❘*1.+❘71-120❘*1.+❘188-120❘*1.=1363.❘121-120❘*10.+❘67-120❘*1.+❘172-120❘*1.=115$

As a result of the calculation, the selection unit 53 selects the combination of CAM1, CAM3, and CAM4 in the case 3 having the smallest value of the calculation results. However, a wall is present in front of CAM3, which is not suitable for practical use. Thus, the selection unit 53 cooperates with the determination unit 55 and performs the following determination and selection. In this case, the selection unit 53 selects the combination having the second smallest value of the calculation results. That is, the selection unit 53 selects CAM1 (the image capturing device 10A-1) as the reference image capturing device and CAM2 (the image capturing device 10A-2) and CAM4 (the image capturing device 10A-4) as candidate supplementary image capturing devices. As a result, CAM3 (the image capturing device 10A-3) hidden by the obstacle or the like is not selected, and an object present at the point of interest P is easily observed. However, as in the example illustrated in FIG. 25, even when CAM4 (the image capturing device 10A-4) is selected as a candidate supplementary image capturing device, it may still be difficult to capture images that cover the most sides (different aspects) of the point of interest P. In this case, the selection unit 53 may stop the selection of a supplementary image capturing device or provide a message or the like that prompts the user who uses the communication terminal 70 to stop the selection process or designate a different point of interest.

Case in which Number of Divisions is Four

An example in a case in which the number of divisions n is four is illustrated in FIG. 26. In the illustrated example, the selection unit 53 selects the image capturing device 10 arranged at the position closest to a central angle of 90°±θ centered on the point of interest P in a circle having a radius r centered on the point of interest P as a supplementary image capturing device that is supplementary to the reference image capturing device 10A-1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 26, three supplementary image capturing devices, namely, the image capturing devices 10A-2, 10A-3, and 10A-4, are selected.

Case in which Number of Divisions is Five or More

Also in a case in which the number of divisions is five or more, the selection unit 53 selects, as a candidate supplementary image capturing device (second image capturing device), an image capturing device arranged at the angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of divisions n from a virtual line segment connecting the reference image capturing device (first image capturing device) and the point of interest P (step S105-3). Thereafter, the selection unit 53 can perform coefficient computation using at least one data table among the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A) and the specific weighting coefficient management table (the specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007, see FIG. 19B) (step S105-4), and select a reference image capturing device and a supplementary image capturing device that is supplementary to the reference image capturing device.

The processing of steps S105-3 and S105-4 described above may be performed in reverse order by the communication management apparatus 50. That is, after coefficient computation is executed using the data table described in step S105-4, a process may be executed in step S105-3 for selecting an image capturing device (supplementary image capturing device) arranged such that the angle between the image capturing device (supplementary image capturing device) and the reference image capturing device among the selected image capturing devices is closest to 360°/n. However, if an obstacle such as a wall is present near the selected supplementary image capturing device or if the selected supplementary image capturing device is malfunctioning, the selection unit 53 and the determination unit 55 may remove such an image capturing device from candidate supplementary image capturing devices and determine whether another image capturing device is available as an alternative candidate supplementary image capturing device.

Instead of the weighting coefficient management table (the weighting coefficient management DB 5006, see FIG. 19A), the communication management apparatus 50 may manage the specific weighting coefficient management table (the specific weighting coefficient management DB 5007, see FIG. 19B) in which a combination of specific image capturing devices is removed, and perform calculation with a coefficient set to 1.0 for a combination of a reference image capturing device and a supplementary image capturing device that is not managed in the specific weighting coefficient management table. This method only requires the administrator who manages the communication management apparatus 50 to set and manage a specific weighting coefficient for an image capturing device for which setting is to be performed. As a result, the administrator can save their work at the distribution site or the like where a large number of image capturing devices are arranged for previous setting of the weighting coefficient in these image capturing devices.

The process for selecting a reference image capturing device and a supplementary image capturing device is also applicable to a condition, as illustrated in FIG. 27, in which the image capturing devices 10 are arranged at irregular intervals in the distribution site.

Referring back to FIG. 33, the generation unit 56 generates, for each of the image capturing devices 10A selected in step S104, predetermined-area information corresponding to the point-of-interest coordinates received in step S75 (step S106). Specifically, the generation unit 56 generates predetermined-area information for displaying a predetermined-area image (an image in perspective projection) such that the point of interest indicated by the point-of-interest coordinates is located at the center of a spherical image captured by each of the selected image capturing devices 10A. It is assumed here that the radial distance (r) and the polar angle (θ) have predetermined values set in advance. The use of the predetermined values indicates that the image in perspective projection is processed with the angle of view and the elevation angle thereof being constant. The azimuth angle (ϕ) can be calculated as a relative value between the arrangement direction of the image capturing device 10A indicated in the arrangement information and the direction from the image capturing device 10A to the point of interest indicated by the point-of-interest coordinates. Then, the generation unit 56 generates, based on the calculated results, predetermined-area information for displaying a predetermined-area image (displaying an image in perspective projection) centered on the point-of-interest coordinates from a spherical image acquired by the image capturing device 10A. The generation unit 56 executes the process described above on each of the image capturing devices 10A selected in step S104. The arrangement position (coordinate values) and the arrangement direction of the image capturing device 10A (the direction in which the front surface of the image capturing device 10A faces) are set in advance in the arrangement information management DB 5004 by the administrator or the like. In the processing of step S106 described above, to obtain a combination of the IP address of an image capturing device and predetermined-area information, the storing and reading unit 59 and the selection unit 53 use the predetermined-area management table (the predetermined-area management DB 5003, see FIG. 17A) and the arrangement information management table (the arrangement information management DB 5004, see FIG. 17B), which are managed by the communication management apparatus 50, to generate corresponding predetermined-area information.

Then, the storing and reading unit 59 stores the predetermined-area information generated in step S106 in the predetermined-area management table (the predetermined-area management DB 5003, see FIG. 17A) in association with the IP address of the corresponding image capturing device 10A (step S107).

As described above, the communication management apparatus 50 can select an image capturing device 10 that captures an image of the point of interest P, based on the point-of-interest coordinates transmitted from the communication terminal 70 and the arrangement information of the plurality of image capturing devices 10, and calculate the angle of view of the selected image capturing device 10A to display the point of interest P.

In this embodiment, the generation unit 56 functions as, or has means for functioning as, an example of generation means. Further, the generation unit 56 that generates predetermined-area information may be included in, instead of the communication management apparatus 50, another apparatus disposed between the communication management apparatus 50 and the communication terminal 70.

Referring back to FIG. 32, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 transmits to the communication terminal 70C a selection result notification that is a result of the process in step S76 (step S77). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of the communication terminal 70C receives the selection result notification transmitted from the communication management apparatus 50. The selection result notification includes sets of pieces of predetermined-area information generated in step S106 and IP addresses of image capturing devices 10, the number of which corresponds to the number of pieces of predetermined-area information generated in step S106. As described above, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of the communication terminal 70C acquires predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the point of interest P for which the designation is accepted in step S72.

As described above, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits to the communication terminal 70 predetermined-area information (first predetermined-area information) indicating a predetermined area including a predetermined position in an image captured by the image capturing device 10A-1, which is the reference image capturing device 10A-1 (first image capturing device) arranged at the shortest distance from the point of interest P (predetermined position) among a plurality of image capturing devices arranged in an area of a distribution site. In addition, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits to the communication terminal 70 predetermined-area information (second predetermined-area information) indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a supplementary image capturing device, which is a supplementary image capturing device (second image capturing device) arranged at the angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area of the distribution site in accordance with the number of divisions indicated in number-of-division information. In a case in which the number of divisions is two, in the example illustrated in FIG. 21, the image capturing device 10A-4 is a supplementary image capturing device (second image capturing device) arranged at the angle closest to the angle obtained by dividing the area of the distribution site in accordance with the number of divisions. In a case in which the number of divisions is three, in the example illustrated in FIG. 23, the image capturing devices 10A-2 and 10A-3 are supplementary image capturing devices (second image capturing devices) arranged at the angle closest to the angle obtained by dividing the area of the distribution site in accordance with the number of divisions.

The transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 can transmit the first predetermined-area information and the second predetermined-area information to the communication terminal 70 at the same time or different times. When the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits the first predetermined-area information and the second predetermined-area information to the communication terminal 70 at different times, the first predetermined-area information and the second predetermined-area information may be transmitted in any order.

Then, the storing and reading unit 79 of the communication terminal 70C stores the predetermined-area information received in step S77 in the predetermined-area management table (the predetermined-area management DB 7002, see FIG. 20B) in association with the IP addresses of the image capturing devices 10 (step S78).

Then, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 transmits a captured-image request to the communication management apparatus 50 to acquire an image captured by the selected image capturing device 10 (step S79). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the captured-image request transmitted from the communication terminal 70. The captured-image request includes the image data ID acquired in step S40.

Upon receipt of the captured-image request, the storing and reading unit 59 of the communication management apparatus 50 searches the image type management table (the image type management DB 5002, see FIG. 16B) using the image data ID as a search key to read the corresponding source name (image type information) (step S80). As a result, image data representing the captured image corresponding to the image data ID is specified.

The transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits to the communication terminal 70C the image data representing the captured image that is read (step S81). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 71 of the communication terminal 70C receives the image data transmitted from the communication management apparatus 50. The image data includes the image data ID of the captured image and audio data.

Then, in response to a predetermined input operation of the user C1, the acceptance unit 72 accepts selection of a display image to be displayed on the communication terminal 70C within the captured image data received in step S53 (step S82). In a case in which the communication terminal 70C is capable of simultaneously displaying a plurality of captured images or in a case in which fewer captured images than the number of images simultaneously displayable on the communication terminal 70C are received, the processing of step S78 may be omitted.

Then, to display an image of a predetermined area specified in the predetermined-area information corresponding to the display image for which selection is accepted in step S82, the image and audio processing unit 73 applies perspective projection conversion using the predetermined-area information received in step S77 to generate a predetermined-area image (step S83). As a result, the communication terminal 70C can generate a predetermined-area image including the point of interest P designated by the user in a spherical image that is an image captured by the image capturing device 10 selected by the communication management apparatus 50.

Then, the display control unit 74 causes the display 706 to display the predetermined-area image generated in step S83 (step S84). FIG. 36 illustrates an example of the display screen displayed on the communication terminal 70C in step S84. A display screen 900 illustrated in FIG. 36 displays a predetermined-area image X generated in step S83. The user C1 checks the predetermined-area image X corresponding to the position of the point of interest P in the distribution site, which is designated using the site display screen 600. As a result, the user C1 is able to check the details of the current situation at the position of the point of interest P in the distribution site.

As described above, in the image communication system 1, an image capturing device 10 suitable to view the point of interest P designated by a user at a viewing site can be selected using the communication management apparatus 50. In the image communication system 1, furthermore, predetermined-area information capable of displaying an image including the point of interest P, which is captured by the selected image capturing device 10, is transmitted from the communication management apparatus 50 to the communication terminal 70. As a result, the image indicating the point of interest P can be displayed on the communication terminal 70.

In this embodiment, the selection unit 53 divides the distribution site into two areas or three areas, by way of example. However, the selection unit 53 may divide the distribution site into any number of areas in accordance with the number of image capturing devices 10 or distribution terminals 30 arranged in the distribution site, the network bandwidth of the communication network 100, the number of images simultaneously receivable and displayable at the communication terminal 70, or the like.

In the image communication system 1 according to this embodiment, when processing such as the processing of steps S75 to S77 or the processing of steps S79 to S81 described above is executed, another apparatus or the like may be present between the communication management apparatus 50 (communication management apparatus) and the communication terminal 70 (communication terminal). That is, information may be transmitted and received between the communication management apparatus 50 and the communication terminal 70 via another apparatus.

Modification of Process for Displaying Point of Interest P

Next, a modification of the process for displaying the point of interest P in the image communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 37. FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram illustrating a modification of the process for displaying the point of interest P in the image communication system 1. FIG. 37 illustrates an example in which the process for selecting an image capturing device 10 described above is executed by the communication terminal 70C at the viewing site C. Since the processing of steps S201 to S204 is similar to the processing of steps S71 to S74 in FIG. 32, the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 37, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 transmits to the communication management apparatus 50 an arrangement-information acquisition request, which is a request for acquiring arrangement information indicating the arrangement positions of the image capturing devices 10 (step S205). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the communication management apparatus 50 receives the arrangement-information acquisition request transmitted from the communication terminal 70C. The arrangement-information acquisition request includes the site ID received in steps S14 and S16.

Then, the communication management apparatus 50 searches the arrangement information management table (the arrangement information management DB 5004, see FIG. 17B) using the site ID received in step S205 as a search key to read the arrangement information associated with the same site ID as the received site ID (step S206). Then, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits the arrangement information read in step S206 to the communication terminal 70C (step S207). Thus, the transmitting/receiving unit (acquisition unit) 71 of the communication terminal 70C receives the arrangement information transmitted from the communication management apparatus 50.

Then, the selection unit 81 executes a process for selecting an image capturing device 10, based on the coordinate values indicated by the arrangement information read in step S207 and the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information (step S208). Since the process for selecting an image capturing device 10 executed in step S208 is similar to the processing of step S76 illustrated in FIG. 32 (the detailed process is illustrated in the flowchart in FIG. 33), the description thereof will be omitted. The processing of steps S101 and S103 may be omitted. Then, in step S107, the storing and reading unit 79 stores the predetermined-area information in the predetermined-area management table (the predetermined-area management DB 7002, see FIG. 20B) instead of the predetermined-area management table (the predetermined-area management DB 5003, see FIG. 17A). Since the processing of steps S209 to S214 is similar to the processing of steps S79 to S84 in FIG. 32, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, in the image communication system 1 according to a modification of the embodiment, the communication terminal 70 performs a process for selecting an image capturing device 10 that captures an image in which the point of interest P designated by a user is displayed. As a result, an image indicating the point of interest P can be displayed on the communication terminal 70. Therefore, as in the embodiment described above, the image communication system 1 allows a user at a viewing site to view an image of the point of interest P designated by the user.

As described above, the communication management apparatus 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure receives coordinate values indicating the position of the point of interest P in an area where a plurality of image capturing devices, the point of interest P being designated by a user, and the number-of-division information for dividing the area from the point of interest P (step S75). Then, the communication management apparatus 50 transmits first predetermined-area information and second predetermined-area information to the communication terminal 70, the first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including a predetermined position corresponding to predetermined-position information in an image captured by a reference image capturing device arranged at the shortest distance from the predetermined position among a plurality of image capturing devices, the second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a supplementary image capturing device arranged such that the angle between the supplementary image capturing device and the reference image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions designated by the user (step S77). Accordingly, the communication management apparatus 50 can display an image of the point of interest P in a distribution site for which an image has been captured by an image capturing device selected in accordance with the number of divisions designated by the user without performing a process on the image capturing device 10. Therefore, the communication management apparatus 50 can display a captured image of an area including a predetermined position on the communication terminal 70 without causing a user to individually operate a plurality of image capturing devices.

In addition, the communication management apparatus 50 can use a data table that stores a coefficient for adding a weight that is set in advance by the administrator in accordance with the number of divisions designated by the user to remove an image capturing device that is not suitable for use in image viewing among a plurality of image capturing devices.

In the embodiment described above, as an example of a spherical image (spherical panoramic image), the captured image (entire image) is a three-dimensional panoramic image. However, the captured image (entire image) may be a two-dimensional panoramic image.

In the embodiment described above, furthermore, the communication terminal 70 at a viewing site may not be dedicated to viewing. The communication terminal 70 may be configured to distribute a captured image and simultaneously implement both the distribution function and the viewing function. Likewise, the distribution terminal 30 at a distribution site may not be dedicated to distribution. The distribution terminal 30 may be configured to display a captured image distributed from any other site and simultaneously implement both the distribution function and the viewing function. As described above, the image communication system 1 may be configured to perform two-way communication of a captured image between a plurality of sites.

Each of the functions in the embodiment described above may be implemented by one or more processing circuits or circuitry. In the embodiment described above, the term “processing circuit or circuitry” includes a device programmed to implement each function using software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit. Examples of the device include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SOC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a conventional circuit module.

Further, various tables in the embodiment described above may be generated by machine learning. Further, data of associated items can be classified, such that use of tables can be optional. As used herein, machine learning is a technique that enables a computer to acquire human-like learning ability. Machine learning refers to a technology in which a computer autonomously generates an algorithm to be used for determination such as data identification from learning data loaded in advance and applies the generated algorithm to new data to make a prediction. Any suitable learning method is applied for machine learning, for example, any one of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, reinforcement learning, and deep learning, or a combination of two or more of those learning methods.

The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention.

Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the one described above.

Claims

1. A communication management apparatus for communicating with a communication terminal configured to display images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices, the communication management apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to: receive, from the communication terminal, predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position; andtransmit, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices,the first image capturing device being arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined position information, andthe second image capturing device being arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

2. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the circuitry is further configured to generate predetermined-area information indicating predetermined areas including the predetermined position in images captured by in-range image capturing devices arranged in a predetermined range from the predetermined position among the plurality of image capturing devices.

3. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the circuitry is further configured to select the first image capturing device and the second image capturing device from among in-range image capturing devices, based on the received predetermined position information, arrangement position information indicating arrangement positions of the plurality of image capturing devices, and the received number-of-division information.

4. The communication management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: the number of divisions is denoted by n, with n being a natural number greater than or equal to 2, andthe circuitry selects, as a candidate of the second image capturing device, an image capturing device arranged at an angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of divisions n from a virtual line segment connecting the first image capturing device and the predetermined position.

5. The communication management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: in response to a determination that an obstacle is present between the predetermined position and at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices, or in response to a determination that at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices has a failure,the circuitry removes the at least one in-range image capturing device from candidates of the second image capturing device.

6. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the image captured by the first image capturing device and the image captured by the second image capturing device are a spherical image.

7. An image communication system, comprising: a communication terminal configured to display images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices; anda communication management apparatus for communicating with the communication terminal, the communication management apparatus including:circuitry configured to: receive, from the communication terminal, predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position; andtransmit, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices,the first image capturing device being arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined position information, andthe second image capturing device being arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

8. The image communication system according to claim 7, wherein the communication terminal includes another circuitry configured to: control a display to display a flat image indicating the area;receive input of the predetermined position in the displayed flat image and input of the number of divisions; andtransmit the predetermined position information and the number-of-division information to the communication management apparatus, the predetermined position information being information indicating the predetermined position for which the input is accepted, the number-of-division information being information indicating the number of divisions for which the input is accepted.

9. A communication management method executed by a communication management apparatus, the communication management apparatus being configured to communicate with a communication terminal configured to display images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices, the communication management method comprising: receiving, from the communication terminal, predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position; andtransmitting, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices,the first image capturing device being arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined position information, andthe second image capturing device being arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

10. The communication management method according to claim 9, further comprising: generating predetermined-area information indicating predetermined areas including the predetermined position in images captured by in-range image capturing devices arranged in a predetermined range from the predetermined position among the plurality of image capturing devices.

11. The communication management method according to claim 9, further comprising: selecting the first image capturing device and the second image capturing device from among in-range image capturing devices, based on the received predetermined position information, arrangement position information indicating arrangement positions of the plurality of image capturing devices, and the received number-of-division information.

12. The communication management method according to claim 11, wherein: the number of divisions is denoted by n, with n being a natural number greater than or equal to 2, andthe method further comprises selecting, as a candidate of the second image capturing device, an image capturing device arranged at an angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of divisions n from a virtual line segment connecting the first image capturing device and the predetermined position.

13. The communication management method according to claim 11, wherein: in response to a determination that an obstacle is present between the predetermined position and at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices, or in response to a determination that at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices has a failure,the method further performs removing the at least one in-range image capturing device from candidates of the second image capturing device.

14. The communication management method according to claim 9, wherein: the image captured by the first image capturing device and the image captured by the second image capturing device are a spherical image.

15. A non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of program codes which, when executed by one or more processors in a communication management apparatus, cause the processors to perform a communication management method, the communication management apparatus being configured to communicate with a communication terminal configured to display images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices, the communication management method comprising: receiving, from the communication terminal, predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in an area where the plurality of image capturing devices are provided and number-of-division information indicating the number of divisions for dividing the area from the predetermined position; andtransmitting, to the communication terminal, first predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a first image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices, and second predetermined-area information indicating a predetermined area including the predetermined position in an image captured by a second image capturing device among the plurality of image capturing devices,the first image capturing device being arranged at a shortest distance from the predetermined position corresponding to the predetermined position information, andthe second image capturing device being arranged such that an angle between the second image capturing device and the first image capturing device is closest to an angle obtained by dividing the area in accordance with the number of divisions indicated by the number-of-division information.

16. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the communication management method further comprises: generating predetermined-area information indicating predetermined areas including the predetermined position in images captured by in-range image capturing devices arranged in a predetermined range from the predetermined position among the plurality of image capturing devices.

17. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the communication management method further comprises: selecting the first image capturing device and the second image capturing device from among in-range image capturing devices, based on the received predetermined position information, arrangement position information indicating arrangement positions of the plurality of image capturing devices, and the received number-of-division information.

18. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 17, wherein: the number of divisions is denoted by n, with n being a natural number greater than or equal to 2, andthe communication management method further comprises selecting, as a candidate of the second image capturing device, an image capturing device arranged at an angle closest to an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of divisions n from a virtual line segment connecting the first image capturing device and the predetermined position.

19. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 17, wherein: in response to a determination that an obstacle is present between the predetermined position and at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices, or in response to a determination that at least one in-range image capturing device among the in-range image capturing devices has a failure,the communication management method further comprises removing the at least one in-range image capturing device from candidates of the second image capturing device.

20. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 15, wherein: the image captured by the first image capturing device and the image captured by the second image capturing device are a spherical image.