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

1. An image generation apparatus comprising:

an image recording unit that records at least one image containing photography position information corresponding to a photography position of the at least one image;

an input unit for selecting a selected image from the at least one image recorded in the image recording unit;

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

a direction detection unit that 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 selected image was recorded; and

a virtual image generation unit that generates at least one virtual image of a scene viewable from the photography position when the selected image was recorded 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 unit 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 photography position comprises a date and time that the at least one image is recorded.

5. The image generation apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the map-image unit acquires map images consist with the date and time that the selected image is recorded.

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

7. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the direction detection unit detects a direction that is opposite to the photography direction of the selected image and the virtual image generation unit generates a virtual image showing a scene in a direction opposite to the photography direction of the selected image.

8. The image generation apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a photographer image recording unit that records an image related to a photographer of the selected image, and the virtual image generation unit includes an image synthesis unit that generates a virtual image showing the scene in the direction opposite to the photography direction synthesized with the image related to the photographer of the selected image.

9. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a photographer image recording unit that records an image related to a photographer of the selected image, and the virtual image generation unit includes an image synthesis unit that synthesizes the virtual image with the image related to the photographer of the selected image.

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

11. The virtual 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.

12. An image generation system comprising:

an image database comprising at least one recorded image containing photography position information corresponding to a photography position and date and time that the recorded image is recorded by an imaging device;

an input unit for selecting a selected image from the at least one recorded image;

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

a direction detection unit that 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 selected image was recorded; and

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

13. The image generation system of claim 12 further comprising an output unit that outputs the virtual image to a display.

14. The image generation system of claim 12 , wherein the photography position information comprises latitude and longitude information corresponding to the photography position.

15. The image generation system of claim 14 , wherein the map-image database stores map images consist with the date and time that the selected image is recorded.

16. The image generation apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the map-image database comprises an era-classified map database.

17. The image generation system according to claim 12 , further comprising:

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

a synthesis unit configured to synthesize the character image with the virtual image.

18. An image generation method comprising:

recording at least one image containing photography position information corresponding to a photography position when the image was recorded;

selecting a selected image from the at least one image;

acquiring at least one map image corresponding to the photography position information contained in the selected image;

acquiring at least one surrounding scene viewable from the photography position consistent with a date and time that the selected image was recorded; and

generating at least one virtual image of the surrounding scene viewable from the photography position when the selected image was recorded.