Imaging apparatus, data processing method, and program

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• an orientation sensor that detects orientation representing the direction in which the imaging apparatus is oriented;
• a controller that produces data formed of a captured image and attribute information associated with the captured image and records the data in a recording section;
• and
• the recording section that stores a captured image and attribute information,
• wherein the controller successively records an entry in a memory, the entry relating orientation information calculated by successively receiving a value detected with the orientation sensor to a time stamp representing the time at which the detected value is inputted from the orientation sensor,
• extracts a plurality of entries having time stamps close to the time at which the image was captured from the entries recorded in the memory, and
• calculates orientation information representing the direction in which the image was captured by using a plurality of pieces of orientation information in the extracted entries,
• wherein the controller
• selects a single representative entry having a time stamp closest to the time at which the image was captured from the entries recorded in the memory,
• selects a specified number of near entries having time stamps close to the time stamp of the representative entry,
• sorts the plurality of entries formed of the representative entry and the near entries in increasing or decreasing order of magnitude of orientation information, and
• removes at least the greatest and smallest end entries from the sorted entries, averages the values of orientation information in the remaining intermediate entries, and sets the average as the orientation information representing the direction in which the image was captured.

A data processing method performed in an imaging apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing an orientation sensor that detects orientation representing the direction in which the imaging apparatus is oriented;
• providing a recording section;
• and
• providing a controller that produces data formed of a captured image and attribute information associated with the captured image and records the data in the recording section,
• wherein the recording section stores the captured image and attribute information,
• wherein the controller:
• records a series of entries in a memory, the series of entries relating orientation information calculated by successively receiving a value detected for each entry with the orientation sensor to a time stamp representing the time at which the detected value is inputted from the orientation sensor,
• extracts a selected plurality of entries from the series of entries with each one of the selected plurality of entries having time stamps close to the time at which the image was captured from the series of entries recorded in the memory, and
• calculates an orientation representing the direction in which the image was captured by using the selected plurality of extracted entries and
• wherein the controller extracts the selected plurality of entries having time stamps close to the time at which the image was captured from the series of entries recorded in the memory, reselects a small number of entries having intermediate values of orientation information of the extracted entries, and sets the average of the orientation information of the plurality of reselected entries as the orientation representing the direction in which the image was captured.

A non-transitory computer readable program that instructs an imaging apparatus to perform data processing, the image apparatus including an orientation sensor, comprising the steps of:

• detecting orientation representing the direction in which the imaging apparatus is oriented;
• producing data formed of a captured image and attribute information associated with the captured image and records the data in a recording section;
• storing the captured image and attribute information;
• recording a series of entries in a memory, the series of entries relating orientation information calculated by successively receiving a value detected for each entry with the orientation sensor to a time stamp representing the time at which the detected value is inputted from the orientation sensor;
• extracting a selected plurality of entries from the series of entries with each one of the selected plurality of entries having time stamps close to the time at which the image was captured from the series of entries recorded in the memory;
• calculating an orientation representing the direction in which the image was captured by using the selected plurality of extracted entries;
• extracting the selected plurality of entries having time stamps close to the time at which the image was captured from the series of entries recorded in the memory;
• reselecting a small number of entries having intermediate values of orientation information of the extracted entries;
• and
• setting the average of the orientation information of the plurality of reselected entries as the orientation representing the direction in which the image was captured.