Virtual image generating apparatus, virtual image generating method, and recording medium storing virtual image generating program

1. An image generation apparatus comprising:

an imager that captures an image and acquires photography position information corresponding to a photography position of the captured image;

a map-image database that acquires at least one map image corresponding to the photography position information of the captured image;

a direction detector that detects a photography direction of the captured image from the photography position information and acquires at least one surrounding map image viewable from the photography position when the captured image was captured; and

a virtual image generator that generates at least one virtual image of a scene viewable from the photography position when the captured image was captured based on the photography position information and the at least one surrounding map image.

2. The image generation apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an output that outputs the virtual image to a display.

3. The image generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photography position information comprises latitude and longitude information corresponding to the photography position.

4. The image generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the map-image database acquires map images consist with a date and time that the captured image is captured.

5. The image generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the map-image database comprises an era-classified map database.

6. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a photographer image recorder that records an image related to a photographer of the captured image.

7. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a photographer image recorder that records an image related to a photographer of the captured image, and the virtual image generator includes an image synthesis unit that synthesizes the virtual image with the image related to the photographer of the captured image.

8. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the direction detector detects a scene from the map image that is most similar to the captured image when it detects the photography direction of the captured image.

9. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one surrounding map image comprises map images along a 360 degree view point from the photography position.

10. An image generation system comprising:

an imager that captures an image;

a position detector that communicates with the imager and acquires photography position information corresponding to a photography position of the captured image;

a direction detector that communicates with at least one of the imager and the position detector, detects a photography direction of the selected image from the photography position information, and acquires at least one surrounding map image viewable from the photography position when the captured image was captured; and

a virtual image generation server that communicates with at least one of the imager, the position detector, and the direction detector to generate at least one virtual image of a scene viewable from the photography position when the captured image was captured based on the photography position information and the at least one surrounding map image.

11. An image generation system comprising:

an image database comprising a captured image containing photography position information corresponding to a photography position;

a map-image database that generates at least one map image corresponding to the photography position information of the captured image;

a direction detector that detects a photography direction of the captured image from the photography position information and acquires at least one surrounding map image viewable from the photography position when the captured image was recorded; and

a virtual image generation server that generates at least one virtual image in any direction viewable from the photography position when the captured image was recorded based on the photography position information and the at least one surrounding map image.

12. The image generation system of claim 11 , wherein the photography position information further comprises a date and time that the captured image is captured.

13. The image generation system of claim 11 , further comprising an output that outputs the virtual image to a display.

14. The image generation system of claim 11 , wherein the photography position information comprises latitude and longitude information corresponding to the photography position.

15. The image generation system of claim 11 , wherein the map-image database stores map images consist with the date and time that the captured image is recorded.

16. The image generation system of claim 11 , wherein the map-image database comprises an era-classified map database.

17. The image generation system according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a character image database configured to store a character image related to a person; and

a synthesizer configured to synthesize the character image with the virtual image.

18. An image generation method comprising:

capturing an image containing photography position information corresponding to a photography position where the captured image was captured;

acquiring a map image corresponding to the photography position information contained in the captured image;

detecting a photography direction of the selected image from the photography position information contained in the captured image;

acquiring at least one surrounding scene viewable from the photography position when the captured image was captured; and

generating at least one virtual image of the surrounding scene viewable from the photography position when the selected image was recorded based on the photography position information and the map image.