Image capturing apparatus, additional information providing server, and additional information filtering system

An additional information providing apparatus, comprising:

• a database that holds a plurality of additional information each of which corresponds to a predetermined object of a plurality of predetermined objects and includes object position information indicating a position of a corresponding one of the predetermined objects;
• a receiving unit configured to receive position information indicating a predetermined position and direction information indicating a predetermined direction from another device;
• a selecting unit configured to divide, into sub-fields, a view space oriented in the direction indicated by the direction information with respect to the position indicated by the position information, and select, for each of the sub-fields, corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information having a count not larger than a count that is set in a corresponding one of the sub-fields, from among the plurality of additional information including a plurality of object position information respectively indicating positions included in the sub-fields;
• and
• a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the other device, the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information selected by said selecting unit,
• wherein the sub-fields are fields obtained by dividing the view space according to a distance from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information,
• wherein said selecting unit is configured to further receive zoom ratio information indicating a zoom ratio from the other device, the zoom ratio being used when a digital image is captured at the position indicated by the position information and in the direction indicated by the direction information, and
• wherein said selecting unit is configured:
• to select at least one of the sub-fields according to the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information, from among the sub-fields, to select a corresponding one of the plurality of additional information to be displayed and having the count not larger than the count that is set, in the selected one of the sub-fields, and not to select any of the plurality of additional information to be displayed in the sub-fields other than the selected one of the sub-fields;
• and
• to select a corresponding one of the sub-fields that is more distant from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information, as the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information is higher.

A method, comprising:

• capturing a digital image;
• obtaining image-capturing position information indicating a position at which the digital image is captured;
• obtaining image-capturing direction information indicating a direction in which the digital image is captured;
• obtaining a plurality of additional information from an additional-information storing device that stores the plurality of additional information, the plurality of additional information each corresponding to a predetermined object of a plurality of predetermined objects and each including object position information indicating a position of a corresponding one of the predetermined objects;
• dividing, into sub-fields, a view space determined from the image-capturing position information and the image-capturing direction information, and selecting, for each of the sub-fields, corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information having a count not larger than a count that is set in a corresponding one of the sub-fields, from among the plurality of additional information including a plurality of object position information respectively indicating positions included in the sub-fields;
• and
• displaying the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information overlaid on the digital image, the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information being selected in said selecting,
• wherein the sub-fields are fields obtained by dividing the view space according to a distance from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information,
• wherein the method further comprises obtaining zoom ratio information indicating a zoom ratio used when said capturing captures the digital image, and
• wherein said selecting includes:
• selecting at least one of the sub-fields according to the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information, from among the sub-fields, to select a corresponding one of the plurality of additional information to be displayed and having the count not larger than the count that is set, in the selected one of the sub-fields, and not to select any of the plurality of additional information to be displayed in the sub-fields other than the selected one of the sub-fields;
• and
• selecting a corresponding one of the sub-fields that is more distant from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information, as the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information is higher.

A method for use in an additional information providing apparatus that stores a plurality of additional information each of which corresponds to a predetermined object of a plurality of predetermined objects and includes object position information indicating a position of a corresponding one of the predetermined objects, said method comprising:

• receiving position information indicating a predetermined position and direction information indicating a predetermined direction from a predetermined other device;
• dividing, into sub-fields, a view space oriented in the direction indicated by the direction information with respect to the position indicated by the position information, and selecting, for each of the sub-fields, corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information having a count not larger than a count that is set in a corresponding one of the sub-fields, from among the plurality of additional information including a plurality of object position information respectively indicating positions included in the sub-fields;
• and
• transmitting, to the other device, the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information selected in said selecting,
• wherein the sub-fields are fields obtained by dividing the view space according to a distance from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information,
• wherein said selecting receives zoom ratio information indicating a zoom ratio from the predetermined other device, the zoom ratio being used when a digital image is captured at the position indicated by the position information and in the direction indicated by the direction information, and
• wherein said selecting includes:
• selecting at least one of the sub-fields according to the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information, from among the sub-fields, to select a corresponding one of the plurality of additional information to be displayed and having the count not larger than the count that is set, in the selected one of the sub-fields, and not to select any of the plurality of additional information to be displayed in the sub-fields other than the selected one of the sub-fields;
• and
• selecting a corresponding one of the sub-fields that is more distant from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information, as the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information is higher.

An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

• an imaging unit configured to captures a digital image;
• an image-capturing position obtaining unit configured to obtain image-capturing position information indicating a position at which the digital image is captured;
• an image-capturing direction obtaining unit configured to obtain image-capturing direction information indicating a direction in which the digital image is captured;
• an additional-information obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of additional information from an additional-information storing device that stores the plurality of additional information, the plurality of additional information each corresponding to a predetermined object of a plurality of predetermined objects and each including object position information indicating a position of a corresponding one of the predetermined objects;
• a selecting unit configured to divide, into sub-fields, a view space determined from the image-capturing position information and the image-capturing direction information, and select, for each of the sub-fields, one or more of the plurality of additional information having a count not larger than a count that is set in a corresponding one of the sub-fields, from among the plurality of additional information including a plurality of object position information respectively indicating positions included in the sub-fields;
• a display unit configured to display the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information overlaid on the digital image, the corresponding one or more of the plurality of additional information being selected by said selecting unit;
• and
• a zoom ratio obtaining unit configured to obtain zoom ratio information indicating a zoom ratio used when said imaging unit captures the digital image,
• wherein said selecting unit is configured:
• to select one of the sub-fields, to select the additional information corresponding to the selected sub-field, and not to select the additional information corresponding to another one of the sub-fields;
• and
• to select a corresponding one of the sub-fields that is more distant from the position indicated by the image-capturing position information, as the zoom ratio indicated by the zoom ratio information is higher.