Image shooting apparatus for adding information to image

This applicationis a Reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 9,961,214, whichis based upon and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-118243 filed on Jun. 11, 2015 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-252315 filed on Dec. 24, 2015 the entire disclosureof allof which, including the description, claims, drawings, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image shooting apparatus, an information acquiring apparatus, an information acquiring system, a transmission control method, and an information acquiring method.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, there has been known a technology for automatically transmitting an image shot by an image shooting apparatus to an external apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-342465 published on Nov. 29, 2002, in order for the image to be used by the external apparatus as well as the image shooting apparatus. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-032129 published on Jan. 29, 2004 discloses a technology for adding to an image shot by an image shooting apparatus location information acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver of the image shooting apparatus and publishing the image on a website.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image shooting apparatus is provided. The image shooting apparatus includes an imaging unit, a transmission unit, and a processor that is configured to acquire an image captured by the imaging unit to generate a shot image and control the transmission unit to transmit, to an information acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii) instruction information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire supplementary information, with a shooting instruction. The supplementary information is information which is acquired by a sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be added to the transmitted shot image.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information acquiring apparatus is provided. The information acquiring apparatus includes a sensor, a reception unit, and a processor that is configured to control the reception unit to receive a shot image and instruction information transmitted from an image shooting apparatus and to perform processing to acquire supplementary information by the sensor and add the supplementary information to the received shot image according to the received instruction information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information acquiring system is provided. The system includes an image shooting apparatus and an information acquiring apparatus. The image shooting apparatus includes an imaging unit, a transmission unit, and a processor that is configured to acquire an image captured by the imaging unit to generate a shot image and control the transmission unit to transmit, to the information acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii) instruction information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire supplementary information, with a shooting instruction. The supplementary information is information which is acquired by a sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be added to the transmitted shot image. The information acquiring apparatus includes a sensor, a reception unit, and a processor that is configured to control the reception unit to receive the shot image and the instruction information transmitted from the image shooting apparatus and to perform processing to acquire supplementary information by the sensor and add the supplementary information to the received shot image according to the received instruction information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a transmission control method is provided. The method includes acquiring an image captured by an imaging unit to generate a shot image and controlling a transmission unit to transmit, to an information acquiring apparatus, (i) the shot image, and (ii) instruction information for instructing the information acquiring apparatus to acquire supplementary information at the time of generating the shot image, with a shooting instruction. The supplementary information is information which is acquired by a sensor of the information acquiring apparatus and which is to be added to the transmitted shot image.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information acquiring method is provided. The method includes controlling a reception unit to receive a shot image and instruction information transmitted from an image shooting apparatus, and performing processing to acquire supplementary information by a sensor and add the supplementary information to the received shot image according to the received instruction information.

The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

<First Embodiment>

1 FIG. is a system diagram for showing a system configuration of an information addition system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 FIG. 1 2 As shown in, an information addition system S includes an imaging apparatusand a mobile terminal.

1 2 1 2 1 Communication between the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalis performed in two ways: a first communication method uses BLE (Bluetooth low energy; “Bluetooth” is a registered trademark) which is a short range wireless communication technology offering low power consumption; and a second communication method uses Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) which is a high-speed local area wireless communication technology capable of mass data communication. The imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalare consistently connected via BLE while connection between them via Wi-Fi is established based on an instruction of connection received from the imaging apparatusvia BLE when mass data should be transferred.

2 FIG.A 2 FIG.B 1 2 is a block diagram for showing a hardware configuration of the imaging apparatusof the information addition system S according to an embodiment of the present invention.is a block diagram for showing a hardware configuration of the mobile terminalof the information addition system S according to the embodiment of the present invention.

1 2 1 1 2 2 In the following, a hardware configuration of the imaging apparatusis described first. Then, a hardware configuration of the mobile terminalwill be described. Each of reference numerals of elements of the imaging apparatusincludes “-” at its end. Each of reference numerals of elements of the mobile terminalincludes “-” at its end.

1 For example, the imaging apparatusis realized by a digital camera.

2 FIG.A 1 11 1 12 1 13 1 14 1 15 1 16 1 17 1 18 1 19 1 20 1 21 1 22 1 As shown in, the imaging apparatusincludes a CPU (Central Processing Unit)-, a ROM (Read Only Memory)-, a RAM (Random Access Memory)-, a bus-, an I/O interface-, an imaging unit-, an input unit-, an output unit-, a storage unit-, a first communication unit-, a second communication unit-, and a drive-.

11 1 12 1 13 1 19 1 The CPU-executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM-or loaded in the RAM-from the storage unit-.

13 1 11 In the RAM-, there are stored data necessary for the CPUto execute various processes, and the like.

11 1 12 1 13 1 14 1 15 1 14 1 16 1 17 1 18 1 19 1 20 1 21 1 22 1 15 1 The CPU-, the ROM-and the RAM-are connected to each other via the bus-. The I/O interface-is also connected to the bus-. The imaging unit-, the input unit-, the output unit-, the storage unit-, the first communication unit-, the second communication unit-, and the drive-are connected to the I/O interface-.

16 1 The imaging unit-includes an optical lens unit and an image sensor (not shown in the drawing).

The optical lens unit includes lenses for collecting light to take a picture of a subject such as a focus lens and a zoom lens.

The focus lens forms an image of a subject on a light-receiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens freely changes the focal length within a predetermined range.

Further, the optical lens unit is provided with a peripheral circuit to adjust parameters such as focusing, exposure, and/or white balancing, as necessary.

The image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion element, an AFE (Analog Front End), and the like.

The photoelectric conversion element includes a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type photoelectric conversion element, for example. The subject's image is input to the photoelectric conversion element from the optical lens unit. The photoelectric conversion element performs photoelectric conversion (image capturing) of the subject's image and accumulates image signals for a predetermined period of time. The photoelectric conversion element provides the AFE with the accumulated image signals sequentially.

16 1 The AFE executes various signal processing operations such as A/D (Analog/Digital) conversion on the analog image signals. Digital signals are generated by the signal processing operations and output as output signals of the imaging unit-.

16 1 11 1 The output signal of the imaging unit-is hereinafter referred to as “data of a captured image”. The data of the captured image is supplied to the CPU-, an image processing unit (not shown in the drawing), or the like.

17 1 17 The input unit-includes various buttons, and a variety of information is input via the input unitin response to manipulation by a user.

18 1 The output unit-includes a display, a speaker, or the like, and outputs images or voices.

19 1 The storage unit-includes a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or the like, and various image data is stored therein.

20 1 2 The first communication unit-controls communication with an external apparatus (in the present embodiment, the mobile terminal) by the first communication method of low-speed but low power consumption which suits consistent connection. In the present embodiment, the first communication method uses a communication technology based on the BLE standard.

21 1 2 The second communication unit-controls communication with an external apparatus (in the present embodiment, the mobile terminal) by the second communication method of high-speed which suits file transfer. In the present embodiment, the second communication method uses a communication technology based on the Wi-Fi standard for wireless LAN.

31 1 22 1 31 1 22 1 19 1 19 1 31 1 19 1 A removable media-including a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disc, a semiconductor memory, or the like, is mounted on the drive-. A program read out from the removable media-by the drive-is installed in the storage unit-as necessary. Similarly to the storage unit-, the removable media-stores various data such as the image data stored in the storage unit-.

2 The mobile terminalis realized by a digital camera, for example.

2 FIG.B 2 23 2 24 2 11 2 12 2 13 2 14 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 2 19 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 31 2 23 2 24 2 15 2 As shown in, the mobile terminalincludes a GPS unit-and a sensor unit-in addition to hardware elements similar to those described above (a CPU-, a ROM-, a RAM-, a bus-, an I/O interface-, an imaging unit-, an input unit-, an output unit-, a storage unit-, a first communication unit-, a second communication unit-, a drive-, and a removable media-). The GPS unit-and the sensor unit-are connected to the I/O interface-.

23 2 11 2 2 23 2 The GPS unit-receives GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites via a GPS receiver antenna. The CPU-acquires information on latitude, longitude, and altitude (hereinafter, referred to as “location information”) showing the present location of an apparatus (in this case, the mobile terminal) based on the GPS signals received by the GPS unit-.

24 2 The sensor unit-may include various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and an acceleration sensor.

2 1 1 11 2 12 2 13 2 14 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 2 19 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 31 2 2 FIG.B Descriptions of the hardware of the mobile terminalsimilar to that of the imaging apparatusare omitted. In other words, descriptions of the elements ofeach of which has the same name as one of the imaging apparatus(i.e. the CPU-, the ROM-, the RAM-, the bus-, the I/O interface-, the imaging unit-, the input unit-, the output unit-, the storage unit-, the first communication unit-, the second communication unit-, the drive-, and the removable media-) are omitted.

23 2 24 2 2 1 The information addition system S configured as described above has a function to add information acquired by the GPS unit-or the sensor unit-of the mobile terminal(hereinafter, referred to as “supplementary information”) to an image shot by the imaging apparatus.

1 2 2 1 The present embodiment is based on the premise that the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalexist in the same environment. The mobile terminalacquires various kinds of sensor information such as location information or temperature information which is image shooting environment of the imaging apparatus. The acquired information is added to a corresponding image as the supplementary information.

1 2 More specifically, in the information addition system S of the present embodiment, the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalare connected via Wi-Fi for high-speed communication for image transmission and via BLE for control information exchange which offers low power consumption and enables consistent connection.

1 2 With a shooting instruction, the imaging apparatusinstructs, via BLE, the mobile terminalto acquire the sensor information at the time of the shooting instruction.

1 2 1 2 Then, Wi-Fi connection is established and an image shot by the imaging apparatusis transmitted to the mobile terminal. At the mobile terminal, the sensor information is added to the image. Further, identification information for identifying an image to which the supplementary information is to be added such as a file name of the image is transmitted from the imaging apparatustogether with the instruction to acquire the sensor information at the time of the shooting instruction. At the mobile terminal, the image to which the supplementary information is to be added is specified based on the identification information and the supplementary information is added to the image.

1 2 1 1 In the case that the image is not transmitted from the imaging apparatus, the mobile terminaltransmits the supplementary information to the imaging apparatusvia BLE and the imaging apparatusacquires the supplementary information and adds the supplementary information to the image.

1 In the present embodiment, whether or not to transmit image from the imaging apparatusand/or which kind of sensor information to acquire is determined according to setting.

In the following, an example of automatic transmission setting for images according to the embodiment will be described.

3 FIG. is a schematic diagram for showing an example of the automatic transmission setting. In the drawing, □ shows that a check box is not selected, ▪ shows that a check box is selected, ◯ shows that a radio button is not selected, and ● shows that a radio button is selected. Further, items which cannot be selected are greyed out.

1 2 In the present embodiment, setting for cooperation of the imaging apparatusand an external apparatus (in the present embodiment, the mobile terminal) can be performed.

The automatic transmission setting is divided into apparatus-side image transmission setting and terminal-side information reception setting.

3 FIG. In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed, the external apparatus can be controlled to acquire the sensor information when shooting an image to be automatically transmitted and add the acquired sensor information to the image as the supplementary information as shown in. In this case, the kind of information to be acquired by the external apparatus can be selected in addition to whether or not the setting is performed. Further, additional setting may be performed to instruct the external apparatus to transmit the supplementary information to the apparatus and to add the received supplementary information to shooting information in the apparatus. By this, it is possible to make the image in the transmission source match the image stored in the external apparatus to which the supplementary information has been added.

1 In the case that the terminal-side information reception setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed, the imaging apparatuscan be controlled to automatically receive the sensor information acquired from the external apparatus as the supplementary information.

3 FIG. More specifically, in the example of, in the case of performing the apparatus-side image transmission setting of the automatic transmission setting, the options “automatically transmit shot image to external apparatus” and “add information acquired by external apparatus to image automatically transmitted” are selected and one or more kinds of the supplementary information are selected. In this example, “location information” is selected. Further, the external apparatus is instructed to transmit the supplementary information and the apparatus adds the received supplementary information to the shooting information in the case of selecting “add information acquired by external apparatus to image of camera too”.

In the case of performing the terminal-side information reception setting of the automatic transmission setting, the option “receive information to add from external apparatus” is selected.

4 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram for showing a functional configuration of the imaging apparatusfor executing an information addition process.

2 1 2 1 1 The information addition process means a series of actions taken in order to add to supplementary information at the time of shooting an image to the image. In the information addition process, in the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed, the mobile terminalacquires information (the supplementary information) at the time of shooting an image, the image is automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatus, and the acquired information is added to the image. On the other hand, in the case that the terminal-side information reception setting of the automatic transmission setting has been performed, the mobile terminalacquires the sensor information (the supplementary information) at the time of shooting an image and transmits the acquired image to the imaging apparatusand the imaging apparatusadds the information to the image.

1 51 52 53 54 11 1 4 FIG. In the case that the information addition process is executed at the imaging apparatus, an automatic transmission setting unit, an imaging control unit, a communication control unit, and an information addition unitof the CPU-function as shown in.

19 1 71 In an area of the storage unit-, an image storage unitis configured.

71 16 1 In the image storage unit, image data acquired from the imaging unit-is stored.

51 17 1 51 51 2 2 51 The automatic transmission setting unitperforms the automatic transmission setting (the apparatus-side image transmission setting and the terminal-side information reception setting) according to setting manipulation input by a user through the input unit-. The automatic transmission setting unitdetermines a setting state of the automatic transmission setting. Further, the automatic transmission setting unitgenerates information of setting of the automatic transmission setting for the mobile terminal(hereinafter, referred to as “setting information”) according to how the user sets. By generating and transmitting setting details of the automatic transmission setting for the mobile terminalby the automatic transmission setting unit, the user does not have to perform detailed setting manipulation and operations relating to automatic transmission can be automatically performed.

52 16 1 17 1 52 16 1 The imaging control unitcontrols the imaging unit-to execute an image shooting process based on manipulation to instruct shooting input by the user through the input unit-. The imaging control unitacquires an image (hereinafter, referred to as the “shot image”) from the imaging unit-.

53 20 1 21 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-and the second communication unit-to perform communication according to the setting of automatic transmission.

53 20 1 2 2 21 1 53 21 1 More specifically, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmits various instructions (such as an application launch instruction or a location information acquisition trigger), information for finding a corresponding image (hereinafter, referred to as “shot image information”), and the setting information of the automatic transmission setting to the mobile terminal, and/or establish communication with the mobile terminalvia Wi-Fi by the second communication unit-. Further, in the case that the communication via Wi-Fi is established, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to transmit an image.

1 The location information acquisition trigger includes an instruction to add the location information to the image for the apparatus-side image transmission setting, and an instruction to transmit the shot image information and the location information, which is corresponding supplementary information, to the imaging apparatusfor the terminal-side information reception setting, as well as an instruction to acquire the location information.

54 The information addition unitadds the supplementary information which has been acquired in response to the location information acquisition trigger (for example, the location information) and received with the shot image information (in the present embodiment, the file name of the image) to an image corresponding to the shot image information (which has the same file name).

5 FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for showing a functional configuration of the mobile terminalfor executing the information addition process.

2 91 92 93 94 95 11 2 5 FIG. In the case that the information addition process is executed at the mobile terminal, an automatic transmission management unit, a communication control unit, an application management unit, an information acquisition unit, and an information addition unitof the CPU-function as shown in.

19 2 111 In an area of the storage unit-, an image storage unitis configured.

111 1 In the image storage unit, image data acquired from the imaging apparatusis stored.

91 92 1 The automatic transmission management unitmanages setting in order for the communication control unitto operate based on the setting information transmitted from the imaging apparatus.

92 20 2 21 2 92 20 2 1 92 21 2 1 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-and the second communication unit-to perform communication according to the setting of automatic transmission. More specifically, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit/receive various kinds of information (such as the application launch instruction, the location information acquisition trigger, the shot image information, the setting information, or the supplementary information) to/from the imaging apparatusvia BLE. Further, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to establish communication with the imaging apparatusvia Wi-Fi and/or receive an image shot by the imaging apparatusvia Wi-Fi.

93 The application management unitmanages launch and operations of a predetermined application (hereinafter, simply the “application”).

94 23 2 24 2 The information acquisition unitacquires the sensor information such as the location information from the GPS unit-or the temperature information from the sensor unit-.

95 1 The information addition unitadds, to an image of images automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatuswhich corresponds to the shot image information (in the present embodiment, the file name of an image) received with the location information acquisition trigger (i.e. the image has the same file name), the supplementary information (for example, the location information).

6 8 FIGS.to 2 FIG.A 4 FIG. 2 FIG.B 5 FIG. 1 2 are flow charts for showing steps of the information addition process executed by the imaging apparatusofincluding the functional configuration shown inand the mobile terminalofincluding the functional configuration shown in.

1 2 1 2 Before the information addition process starts, pairing between the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalvia BLE is completed and thus they are consistently connected via BLE. While the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology is inactive (i.e. an off state) then, the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalacquire Wi-Fi configuration (i.e. a profile) of each other and are prepared to easily establish one-to-one communication connection when Wi-Fi communication is started.

3 FIG. 17 1 51 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 51 1 2 1 According to the setting manipulation input by the user through the automatic transmission setting screen as shown inand the input unit-, the automatic transmission setting unitof the imaging apparatusperforms the apparatus-side image transmission setting or the terminal-side information reception setting. In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting has been performed, the image shot by the imaging apparatusis transmitted to the mobile terminaland the supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminal(for example, the location information) is added to the image transmitted from the imaging apparatus. In the case that the terminal-side information reception setting has been performed, the supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminal(for example, the location information) is transmitted to the imaging apparatusand added to the image by the imaging apparatus. Further, the automatic transmission setting unitof the imaging apparatusgenerates the setting information for the mobile terminalaccording to the setting performed at the imaging apparatus.

1 <Information Addition Process at Imaging Apparatus>

111 52 16 1 16 1 71 At Step S, the imaging control unitcontrols the imaging unit-to execute the image shooting process in response to the image shooting instruction. As a result, a captured image is output from the imaging unit-. Imaging processing is performed for the output captured image and a shot image resulting from the imaging processing is stored in the image storage unit.

112 53 20 1 2 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to communicate with the mobile terminalby the first communication method using the BLE technology and to transmit the application launch instruction. Thus, the application is launched at the mobile terminal.

113 53 20 1 51 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger which is an instruction to acquire the location information and add the acquired location information to the image as the supplementary information, the shot image information (in the present embodiment, the file name of the image), and the setting information for the automatic transmission setting generated by the automatic transmission setting unit.

114 51 At Step S, the automatic transmission setting unitdetermines whether or not the apparatus-side image transmission setting function is selected.

114 115 In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting function is selected, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S.

115 53 21 1 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to turn on Wi-Fi at the AP (Access Point) mode.

116 53 2 21 1 53 2 At Step S, the communication control unitdetermines whether or not connection via Wi-Fi with the mobile terminalhas been made by the second communication unit-. The communication control unitmakes the determination by checking whether or not a notification of connection is received from the mobile terminal.

2 116 119 119 In the case that the connection to the mobile terminalhas been made, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S. Step Sand the subsequent steps will be described later.

2 116 117 In the case that the connection to the mobile terminalhas not been made, the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process proceeds to Step S.

117 53 At Step S, the communication control unitdetermines whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed and a connection timeout occurs (in other words, the elapsed time reaches a time limit).

117 116 In the case that the connection timeout does not occur, the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process returns to Step S.

117 118 In the case that the connection timeout occurs, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S.

118 53 2 21 1 111 At Step S, the communication control unitturns off Wi-Fi for communication with the mobile terminalby the second communication unit-and the process returns to Step S.

119 53 21 1 2 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to transmit the shot image to the mobile terminal. As a result of the transmission, the supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminal(for example, the location information) is added to the shot image.

1 After that, the information addition process at the imaging apparatusends.

114 120 On the other hand, in the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting function is not selected (in other words, the terminal-side information reception setting function is selected), the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process proceeds to Step S.

120 53 20 1 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the location information and the shot image information transmitted from the mobile terminal.

121 54 71 1 At Step S, the information addition unitadds the supplementary information (for example, the location information) to an image stored in the image storage unitwhich corresponds to the shot image information. After that, the information addition process at the imaging apparatusends.

2 <Information Addition Process at Mobile Terminal>

141 92 20 2 1 93 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the application launch instruction transmitted from the imaging apparatusvia BLE. Upon receiving the application launch instruction, the application management unitlaunches the application.

142 92 20 2 1 91 92 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the location information acquisition trigger, the file name of the shot image which is the shot image information and the setting information transmitted from the imaging apparatusvia BLE. The automatic transmission management unitmanages operations of the communication control unitor the like according to the received setting information.

143 94 23 2 At Step S, the information acquisition unitacquires the location information which is a result of location measurement by the GPS unit-in the case that the selected kind of the supplementary information is “location information”.

144 91 At Step S, the automatic transmission management unitdetermines whether or not the apparatus-side image transmission setting function has been selected in the received automatic transmission setting.

144 145 In the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting function has been selected, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S.

145 92 21 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to turn on Wi-Fi at the ST (Station) mode.

146 92 21 2 1 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to search the imaging apparatusof the access point (AP).

147 92 1 At Step S, the communication control unitdetermines whether or not the imaging apparatusof the access point (AP) is found.

1 1 147 150 150 In the case that the imaging apparatusof the access point (AP) is found (or, connection with the imaging apparatusis already established), the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S. Step Sand the subsequent steps will be described later.

1 147 148 In the case that the imaging apparatusof the access point is not found, the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process proceeds to Step S.

148 92 At Step S, the communication control unitdetermines whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed and the connection timeout occurs.

148 147 In the case that the connection timeout does not occur, the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process returns to Step S.

148 149 In the case that the connection timeout occurs, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S.

149 92 1 21 2 141 At Step S, the communication control unitturns off Wi-Fi for communication with the imaging apparatusby the second communication unit-and the process returns to Step S.

150 92 21 2 1 1 1 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to perform communication by the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology, connect to the imaging apparatusof the access point (AP), and send the notification of connection to the imaging apparatus(in other words, the connection for communication with the imaging apparatusis established).

151 92 21 2 1 111 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to receive the image transmitted from the imaging apparatus. The received image is stored in the image storage unit.

152 95 2 At Step S, the information addition unitadds the supplementary information (for example, the location information) to an image corresponding to the shot image information. After that, the information addition process at the mobile terminalends.

144 153 On the other hand, in the case that the apparatus-side image transmission setting function has not been selected (in other words, the terminal-side information reception setting function has been selected), the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the process proceeds to Step S.

153 92 20 2 1 1 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the location information and the shot image information to the imaging apparatus. The location information transmitted to the imaging apparatusis added to an image to the shot image information as the supplementary information. After that, the information addition process at the mobile terminalends. The location information and the shot image information are held in the case that the BLE communication is disconnected and retransmitted when the connection is reestablished.

1 2 1 2 2 As described above, the camera (the imaging apparatus) and the smart phone (the mobile terminalwhich is the external apparatus) are connected by the high-speed communication method for image transmission and the communication method of low power consumption enabling consistent connection for control information exchange. With the shooting instruction at the imaging apparatus, the following operations are performed: (1) transmitting, to the mobile terminalwhich is the external apparatus, the instruction information (the location information acquisition trigger) for instructing to acquire the location information (the supplementary information) at the time of the shooting instruction to be added to a shot image and the identification information for identifying the shot image which will be transmitted later; and (2) controlling the mobile terminalto add to an image transmitted via the high speed communication the location information corresponding to the image based on the shot image information.

2 2 1 Further, in the case that the automatic transmission has not been selected, the following operation is performed: (3) transmitting, to the mobile terminalwhich is the external apparatus, the instruction information (the location information acquisition trigger) for instructing the mobile terminalto transmit the acquired supplementary information, with the shooting instruction,to the imaging apparatusvia the low-power-consumption communication.

<Second Embodiment>

9 FIG. is a schematic diagram for showing of an outline of addition of information according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 FIG. 1 2 As shown in, according to the addition of information according to the present embodiment, the imaging apparatusdoes not acquire location information for a shot image and the mobile terminaladds location information of high accuracy to the image (more specifically, the Exif area of the image).

1 2 More specifically, a BLE profile service for notification of shooting time is prepared in the imaging apparatusto notify the mobile terminalof the shooting time when shooting an image.

2 The mobile terminalis notified of the shooting time, acquires location information, and draws up a list including a plurality of sets of shooting time data and corresponding location information data (hereinafter, referred to as a “location information list”).

1 2 In the case that an image is transmitted from the imaging apparatusto the mobile terminal, the shooting time of the image is compared with the shooting time data in the location information list and the location information data corresponding to the shooting time is added to the image such that the image includes the location information.

1 2 2 1 In the present embodiment, a positional relationship between the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalguarantees short-range communication between them via BLE and it is premised that the mobile terminalis located near the imaging apparatusat the time of shooting.

1 2 The shooting time can be unique information generated consistently every time. Thus, there is no necessity to allocate the identification information for specifying the image and hold and manage the unique identification information in the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminal. In other words, the shooting time (time information added to the shot image) serves both as the instruction information and the identification information for identifying the shot image.

10 FIG. 2 FIG.A 1 is a functional block diagram for showing a functional configuration of the imaging apparatusoffor executing an information addition process.

1 1 2 2 1 The information addition process of the present embodiment means a series of actions taken in order to add the location information to an image corresponding to the shooting time at the imaging apparatus. Location information acquired around the time of shooting an image can be regarded as the location information of the image under the condition that the BLE communication between the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalhas been established which guarantees that they are close to each other. Thus, the location information of high accuracy acquired by the mobile terminalcan be added to the image. Further, it is possible to prevent a waste of power of the imaging apparatusfor location measurement.

1 52 55 53 11 1 10 FIG. In the case that the information addition process is executed at the imaging apparatus, an imaging control unit, a time acquisition unit, and a communication control unitof the CPU-function as shown in.

19 1 71 In an area of the storage unit-, an image storage unitis configured.

71 16 1 In the image storage unit, image data acquired from the imaging unit-is stored.

52 16 1 17 1 The imaging control unitcontrols the imaging unit-to execute the image shooting process based on manipulation to instruct shooting input by the user through the input unit-.

55 16 The time acquisition unitacquires time information on the time when the imaging unitexecutes the image shooting process, i.e. an image is shot and generated (hereinafter, referred to as “shooting time”).

53 20 1 21 1 53 20 1 2 2 53 21 1 2 2 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-and the second communication unit-to perform communication. More specifically, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to perform communication with the mobile terminalby the first communication method using the BLE technology and transmit the acquired shooting time to the mobile terminal. Further, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to perform communication with the mobile terminalby the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology and transmit the shot image to the mobile terminal.

11 FIG. 2 FIG.B 2 is a functional block diagram for showing a functional configuration of the mobile terminaloffor executing the information addition process.

2 92 94 96 95 11 2 11 FIG. In the case that the information addition process is executed at the mobile terminal, a communication control unit, an information acquisition unit, an information comparison unit, and an information addition unitof the CPU-function as shown in.

19 2 112 111 In an area of the storage unit-, a location information list storage unitand an image storage unitare configured.

112 1 In the location information list storage unit, the location information list is stored in which the shooting time acquired from the imaging apparatuscorresponds to the location information acquired by the location measurement at the corresponding time.

111 1 In the image storage unit, image data acquired from the imaging apparatusis stored.

92 20 2 21 2 92 20 2 1 92 21 2 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-and the second communication unit-to perform communication. More specifically, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatusvia the BLE communication. Further, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to receive the image transmitted from the imaging apparatus.

94 23 2 94 112 The information acquisition unitacquires the location information from the GPS unit-. More specifically, the information acquisition unitallows the acquired location information to be stored in the location information list storage unit. In the location information list, the received shooting time is recorded in correspondence with the acquired location information.

96 112 96 The information comparison unitcompares the shooting time of an image with the shooting time data of the location information list stored in the location information list storage unit. More specifically, the information comparison unitcompares the shooting time of the received image with the shooting time data of the location information list and determines whether or not the location information list includes the shooting time data which is the same as the shooting time of the image.

95 95 96 The information addition unitadds the location information to the image. More specifically, the information addition unitadds to the image the location information recorded in the location information list corresponding to the shooting time data which is determined to be the same as the shooting time of the image by the information comparison unit.

12 FIG. 2 FIG.A 10 FIG. 2 FIG.B 11 FIG. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 is a flow chart for showing steps of the information addition process executed by the imaging apparatusofincluding the functional configuration shown inand the mobile terminalofincluding the functional configuration shown in. Before the information addition process starts, pairing between the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalis completed by the first communication method using the BLE technology and thus they are consistently connected via BLE. While the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology is inactive (i.e. the off state) then, the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminalacquire the Wi-Fi configuration (i.e. the profile) of each other to establish one-to-one communication connection when transmitting an image. Thus, the image is automatically transmitted from the imaging apparatusto the mobile terminal.

1 <Information Addition Process at Imaging Apparatus>

171 52 16 1 16 1 71 At Step S, the imaging control unitcontrols the imaging unit-to execute the image shooting process in response to the image shooting instruction. As a result, a captured image is output from the imaging unit-. The imaging processing is performed for the output captured image and the shot image is stored in the image storage unit.

172 55 16 1 At Step S, the time acquisition unitacquires shooting time when the image shooting process is executed by the imaging unit-.

173 53 20 1 2 2 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to communicate with the mobile terminalby the first communication method using the BLE technology and to transmit the acquired shooting time to the mobile terminal.

174 53 21 1 2 2 1 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to communicate with the mobile terminalby the second communication method using the Wi-Fi technology and to transmit the shot image to the mobile terminal. After that, the information addition process at the imaging apparatusends.

2 <Information Addition Process at Mobile Terminal>

191 92 20 2 1 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatusby the BLE communication.

192 94 23 3 At Step S, the information acquisition unitacquires the location information which is a result of the location measurement by the GPS unit-in the case that the selected kind of the supplementary information is “location information”.

193 94 112 At Step S, the information acquisition unitallows the acquired location information to be stored in the location information list storage unit. In the location information list, the received shooting time is recorded in correspondence with the acquired location information.

194 92 21 2 1 111 At Step S, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to receive the image transmitted from the imaging apparatus. The received image is stored in the image storage unit.

195 96 At Step S, the information comparison unitcompares the shooting time of the received image with the shooting time data of the location information list and determines whether or not the location information list includes the shooting time data which is the same as the shooting time of the image.

195 2 In the case that the location information list does not include the shooting time data which is the same as the shooting time of the image, the determination at Step Sis “NO” and the information addition process at the mobile terminalends.

195 196 In the case that the location information list includes the shooting time data which is the same as the shooting time of the image, the determination at Step Sis “YES” and the process proceeds to Step S.

196 95 2 At Step S, the information addition unitadds the location information recorded in the location information list corresponding to the shooting time to the image. After that, the information addition process at the mobile terminalends.

1 1 According to the present embodiment, an image can be managed by using the shooting time without requiring one ID such as the file name of the image because a plurality of times of shooting cannot be performed at the same time. In the case that the shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatusis the same as that previously stored, the old one may be deleted and the shooting time may be updated on the assumption that the clock of the imaging apparatusis adjusted.

Conventionally, two methods for adding location information to an image have been known: (i) in the first method, a GPS in an imaging apparatus (for example, a camera) acquires the location information and the location information is added to the image by the imaging apparatus; and (ii) in the second method, the location information is acquired by a GPS logger or a mobile terminal (for example, a smart phone) other than the imaging apparatus (the camera) and added to the image by a device other than the imaging apparatus (the camera).

1 1 According to the method (i) for adding the location information by the imaging apparatus(the camera), power consumption of the GPS is high and the operation time of the imaging apparatus(the camera) is shortened. Further, accuracy of the location information is not good due to restrictions of installation of the GPS antenna.

According to the method (ii) for adding the location information by a device other than the imaging apparatus (the camera), the location information should be acquired continually because the device cannot recognize when an image is shot. Thus, current consumption and processing load of the device are high. Further, since determination of which location information to be added to which image is based on matching of time of the imaging apparatus (the camera) and the device, the clocks of the imaging apparatus (the camera) and the device should be adjusted such that they are matched.

1 2 1 In the information addition system S of the present invention, the imaging apparatus(the camera) notifies the application of the mobile terminal(the smart phone) of the shooting time of an image via BLE at the time of shooting the image. The application performs operations to acquire the location information at the time of being notified of the shooting time via BLE, store the location information and the notified shooting time, receive image data from the imaging apparatus(the camera), and, in the case that the shooting time recorded in the image is the same as the notified shooting time, add to the image the location information stored in correspondence with the shooting time.

1 The BLE profile is prepared for notification of the shooting time in the imaging apparatus(the camera). 1 The imaging apparatus(the camera) notifies the application of the shooting time recorded in the image at the time of shooting via BLE. 1 The imaging apparatus(the camera) does not notify the same shooting time repeatedly. The application acquires the location information at the time of being notified of the shooting time via BLE and stores the location information and the notified shooting time in the location information list. The application can store a plurality of sets of the shooting time and the location information in the location information list. 1 In the case that the application is notified of shooting time the same as that previously stored (for example, the clock of the imaging apparatus(the camera) is adjusted), new location information is acquired and stored and the old one is deleted. 1 The application receives image data from the imaging apparatus(the camera) and, in the case that the shooting time recorded in the image is the same as the notified shooting time, adds to the image the location information stored in correspondence with the shooting time. In summary, the information addition system S performs the following operations:

1 1 Since the imaging apparatus(the camera) does not acquire any location information, current consumption of the imaging apparatus(the camera) is not affected. 2 Since the location information is acquired by the mobile terminal(the smart phone), accuracy of the location information is high. Since the location information is acquired when the application receives the BLE notification, current consumption and processing load are lower than those of the conventional method of continually acquiring the location information. 1 Since the imaging apparatus(the camera) does not notify the same shooting time repeatedly, communication load for the BLE notification is low in the case of adding the location information to images having the same shooting time such as sequentially shot images. Since the process of adding the location information and the shooting are not performed at the same time, the image shooting process is not interrupted. 1 2 Since an image edited by the imaging apparatus(the camera) (such as a resized or trimmed image) has the same shooting time as that of its original image, the same location information can be added to the edited image as the original image when the edited image is transmitted to the mobile terminal(the smart phone). By the features described above, the information addition system S achieves the following effects:

1 52 20 1 53 The imaging apparatusconfigured as described above includes the imaging control unit, the first communication unit-, and the communication control unit.

52 16 1 The imaging control unitacquires an image captured by the imaging unit-to generate a shot image.

20 1 2 2 52 2 The first communication unit-transmits the location information acquisition trigger, which is instruction information, to the mobile terminal, which is an external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminalto acquire supplementary information to be added to the shot image generated by the imaging control unitwhich is information acquired by a sensor of the mobile terminal.

53 52 20 1 2 2 With a shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the imaging control unitto generate the shot image and the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger which is the instruction information to the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminalto acquire the supplementary information at the time of the shooting instruction.

1 By this, the imaging apparatuscan acquire the supplementary information at the time of the shooting instruction even in the case that it does not have a device or a sensor for acquiring information to be added to the shot image.

1 21 1 52 2 Further, the imaging apparatusfurther includes the second communication unit-for transmitting the shot image generated by the imaging control unitto the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus.

2 2 The location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, may further include an instruction for instructing the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, to add the supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminalto the shot image.

53 21 1 52 2 20 1 2 2 21 1 With the shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to transmit the shot image generated by the imaging control unitto the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, and controls the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, to the mobile terminalto instruct the mobile terminalto acquire the supplementary information to be added to the shot image transmitted by the second communication unit-and to add the acquired supplementary information to the transmitted shot image.

2 By this, the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, can add information to the shot image and it is possible to acquire the information to be added to the shot image efficiently.

20 1 21 1 2 The first communication unit-further transmits the shot image information which is identification information for identifying the shot image transmitted by the second communication unit-to the mobile terminal.

53 20 1 2 With the shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit further the shot image information, which is the identification information, to the mobile terminalwhich is the external apparatus.

By this, it is possible to add to the shot image information corresponding to the image reliably.

2 2 1 The location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, further includes an instruction for instructing the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, to transmit the supplementary information acquired by the mobile terminalto the imaging apparatus, which is an image shooting apparatus.

53 20 1 2 2 1 With the shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, to the mobile terminalto instruct the mobile terminalto transmit the acquired supplementary information to the imaging apparatuswhich is the image shooting apparatus.

2 1 By this, it is possible to control the mobile terminalto automatically transmit the supplementary information to the imaging apparatus. Thus, the information to be added to the image can be acquired efficiently.

1 51 21 1 52 2 Further, the imaging apparatusfurther includes the automatic transmission setting unitfor setting whether or not the second communication unit-automatically transmits the shot image generated by the imaging control unitto the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus.

53 21 1 52 2 20 1 2 2 51 51 53 20 1 2 2 1 With the shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to transmit the shot image generated by the imaging control unitto the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, and controls the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger to the mobile terminalto instruct the mobile terminalto acquire the supplementary information to be added to the transmitted shot image and to add the acquired supplementary information to the shot image, in the case that the automatic transmission setting unitsets to automatic transmission. On the other hand, in the case that the automatic transmission setting unitdoes not set to the automatic transmission, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, to the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminalto acquire the supplementary information to be added to the shot image and to transmit the acquired supplementary information to the imaging apparatus, which is the image shooting apparatus.

2 By this, the user can set whether or not to automatically transmit the image to the mobile terminalarbitrarily. Further, even in the case that the user does not set to the automatic transmission, it is possible to add the supplementary information to the image reliably.

2 The location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, further includes the kind of the supplementary information to be acquired by the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus.

53 20 1 2 2 With the shooting instruction, the communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to further transmit the location information acquisition trigger, which is the instruction information, to the mobile terminal, which is the external apparatus, to instruct the mobile terminalto acquire the supplementary information of the designated kind.

By this, it is possible to acquire various kinds of supplementary information to be added to the shot image efficiently.

53 20 1 16 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the shooting time which is time information at the time of generating the shot image by the imaging unit-as the instruction information.

1 2 By this, it is unnecessary to perform adjustment for matching of the clocks of the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminaland transmission of the shot image and the shooting time suffices.

16 1 The imaging unit-adds further the shooting time to the generated shot image.

53 20 1 2 21 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the shooting time with the instruction information to the mobile terminalas the identification information for identifying the shot image transmitted by the second communication unit-.

By this, even in the case that a plurality of images are sequentially shot and they are transmitted, it is unnecessary to transmit information for identifying the images separately.

20 1 2 21 1 The instruction information transmitted by the first communication unit-is acquired by the mobile terminalprior to the shot image transmitted by the second communication unit-.

By this, it is possible to add the supplementary information at the time of the shooting instruction to the shot image efficiently.

53 21 1 The communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to transmit the shot image via Wi-Fi.

53 20 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to transmit the instruction information via BLE.

By this, it is possible to realize initiation of the instruction and transmission of the image at high speed and with low power consumption.

2 23 2 The mobile terminalincludes the GPS unit-.

92 21 2 1 The communication control unitcontrols the second communication unit-to receive the shot image information transmitted from the imaging apparatus.

92 20 2 1 21 2 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the instruction information transmitted from the imaging apparatusfor instructing to acquire the supplementary information to be added to the shot image received by the second communication unit-.

94 23 2 20 2 The information acquisition unitacquires the supplementary information by the GPS unit-according to the instruction information received by the first communication unit-.

95 94 21 2 The information addition unitadds the supplementary information acquired by the information acquisition unitto the shot image received by the second communication unit-.

1 By this, it is possible to add information to an image shot by the imaging apparatuswhich is an external apparatus and to acquire the information to be added to the shot image with precision and efficiently.

2 24 2 1 1 In the second embodiment, the mobile terminalmay include the sensor unit-similarly with the first embodiment and acquire environment information around the imaging apparatusby various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and an illuminance sensor, as well as the location information by the GPS. Further, information may be acquired from a web page related to the sensor information. In the case that an external apparatus has special information (for example, a sensor detects an abnormal value), the information may be transmitted to the imaging apparatusto be added to an image or added to a received image according to decisions of the external apparatus.

92 20 2 1 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the shooting time which is the time information at the time of generating the shot image transmitted from the imaging apparatusas the instruction information.

94 23 2 1 The information acquisition unitacquires the supplementary information by the GPS unit-in response to the reception of the shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatus.

1 2 By this, it is unnecessary to perform adjustment for matching of the clocks of the imaging apparatusand the mobile terminaland transmission of the shot image and the shooting time suffices.

92 20 2 1 21 2 The communication control unitcontrols the first communication unit-to receive the shooting time transmitted from the imaging apparatusas the identification information for identifying the shot image received by the second communication unit-.

95 94 21 2 20 2 The information addition unitidentifies the shot image to which the supplementary information acquired by the information acquisition unitis to be added by comparing the shooting time added to the shot image received by the second communication unit-and the shooting time received by the first communication unit-which serves as the identification information.

By this, even in the case that a plurality of images are sequentially shot and they are transmitted, it is unnecessary to transmit information for identifying the images separately.

2 112 20 2 94 The mobile terminalfurther includes the location information list storage unitfor storing a plurality of sets of the shooting time received by the first communication unit-, which serves as the identification information, and corresponding supplementary information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

95 21 2 112 The information addition unitcompares the shooting time added to the shot image received by the second communication unit-and the shooting time stored in the location information list storage unit, which serves as the identification information, to identify the shot image to which the supplementary information stored in correspondence with the shooting time is to be added.

By this, it is possible to prevent the supplementary information from being added wrong in the case that the order of reception of shot images changes.

112 94 20 2 The location information list storage unitupdates the supplementary information to new one acquired by the information acquisition unitin the case that the shooting time received by the first communication unit-, which serves as the identification information, is the same as the shooting time stored in correspondence with the supplementary information.

1 By this, it is possible to deal with the case in which the clock of the imaging apparatusis adjusted.

20 2 21 2 The instruction information received by the first communication unit-is acquired prior to the shot image received by the second communication unit-.

By this, it is possible to add the supplementary information at the time of the shooting instruction to the shot image efficiently.

2 The one kind of the information which can be acquired by the mobile terminalwhich is the external apparatus is the location information.

1 By this, it is possible to acquire information to be added to the shot image efficiently even in the case that the imaging apparatusdoes not have a function for acquiring the location information.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and various modifications and alternatives which can achieve the objects of the invention fall within the scope of the present invention.

The external apparatus may be a smart phone, a personal computer, an image shooting apparatus such as a different digital camera, or a server. The communication may be performed by NFC, via the public communication line, or the like.

In other embodiments of the present application, the imaging apparatus does not have the automatic transmission function and has only the functions for instructing the external apparatus to transmit the supplementary information to the imaging apparatus and adding the received supplementary information to shooting information.

While the supplementary information is transmitted from the external apparatus to the imaging apparatus via BLE in the above embodiments, the supplementary information may be transmitted via Wi-Fi in other embodiments.

Further, a plurality of kinds of the supplementary information may be acquired by the external apparatus. An additional kind of the supplementary information may be added to the instruction information according to shooting situations at the time of the shooting instruction.

According to the above embodiments, the shot image is transmitted after the instruction information for acquisition of the supplementary information is transmitted. However, the transmission of the instruction information and the transmission of the shot image can be performed at the same time if the supplementary information can be received by the information acquiring apparatus prior to completion of the transmission of the shot image.

Further, in the embodiments above described, timing of the transmission of the shot image does not have to be the same as that of the transmission of the instruction information for acquisition of the supplementary information. Therefore, the transmission of the instruction information and the transmission of the shot image may be performed in sequence by one communication line (for example, via only Wi-Fi).

The identification information may be any information which can identify the shot image. In some embodiments, the external apparatus records the time of reception of the instruction information and compares the time with the time information included in the shot image received later.

1 In the above embodiments, the location information is also added to an image edited by the imaging apparatus(such as a resized or trimmed image). If the edited image has the same shooting time as that of its original image, the same location information can be added to the edited image.

In the above embodiments, the image shooting process causes the location information to be acquired. In other embodiments, the location information is acquired regardless of shooting and the location information is added to an image in the case that shooting time of the image is the same as the time of acquiring the location information.

The embodiments of the present invention can be applied to a moving picture as well as a still picture.

1 Further, in the embodiments described above, the present invention has been applied to a digital camera as an example of the imaging apparatuswithout limitation.

For example, the present invention can be applied to general electronic devices having the function of information addition processing. More specifically, the present invention can be applied to a notebook type personal computer, a printer, a television, a video camera, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a portable game device, and the like.

Each of the process sequences described above can be executed by hardware or software.

4 5 9 10 FIGS.,,and 4 5 9 10 FIGS.,,, and 1 In other words, the functional configurations shown inare merely examples and the present invention is not limited thereto. The imaging apparatussuffices if it has a function for performing each of the process sequence as a whole. Functional blocks to use to implement this function are not limited to the embodiments of.

In addition, a functional block may be configured by a piece of hardware, a piece of software, or their combination.

In the case that the sequence is performed by software, a program configuring the software is installed in a computer or the like from a network or a storage medium.

The computer may be a computer which is incorporated in dedicated hardware. In addition, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs therein, for example, a general-purpose personal computer.

31 31 12 19 2 2 FIGS.A andB 2 2 FIGS.A andB 2 2 FIGS.A andB A storage medium for recording such a program may include not only the removable mediashown inwhich is distributed separately from the apparatus's main body to provide it to users, but also a storage medium or the like which is provided to users in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus's main body in advance. The removable mediaincludes, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disc, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. For example, the optical disc includes a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) disc, or the like. The magneto-optical disk includes a Mini-Disk (MD), or the like. In addition, the storage medium which is provided to the users in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus's main body in advance includes, for example, the ROMinin which a program is recorded, a hard disk included in the storage unitin, or the like.

Further, in the description presented here, the steps describing a program recorded in a recording medium include not only processes to be executed serially in time in order, but also processes which are not necessarily executed serially in time but in a parallel manner or individually.

In addition, the term “system” as used herein means an entire apparatus including a plurality of apparatus and/or a plurality of units.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. It will be evident that there are many other possible embodiments of the present invention and various modifications such as omission or substitution may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications fall within the scope and the spirit of the invention described in this specification and within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims and equivalents thereof.