Communication apparatus wirelessly communicating with external apparatus, control method of communication apparatus, and storage medium

• US 10,084,952 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek, Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US15/593,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20170353651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a setting unit that sets a time interval with respect to a timing of communicating with an external apparatus, a communication unit that communicates with the external apparatus at the time interval, and a control unit that performs control to, based on a request of the operation through the remote operation received from the external apparatus, communicate with the external apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remotely operated mode in which an operation corresponding to a requested operation is executed, wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus that communicates with an external apparatus to accept a remote operation from the external apparatus comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a time interval with respect to a timing of communicating with the external apparatus;

a communication unit configured to communicate with the external apparatus at the time interval set by the setting unit; and

a control unit configured to perform control to, based on a request of an operation through the remote operation received from the external apparatus, communicate with the external apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remotely operated mode in which an operation corresponding to a requested operation is executed,

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a first time interval has passed without accepting a request of cancelling the operation from the external apparatus after the communication unit accepts the request of the operation through the remote operation received from the external apparatus, the control unit executes the operation corresponding to the requested operation again,

wherein, in a case where a request of cancelling the operation is accepted before the first time interval has passed, the control unit cancels an operated state, and

wherein, in a case where the time interval set by the setting unit is longer than the first time interval, the control unit performs control not to execute the operation corresponding to the requested operation again even if the first time interval has passed without receiving the request of cancelling the operation from the external apparatus.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the first time interval has passed without accepting a request of cancelling the operation from the external apparatus in a state where the time interval set by the setting unit is shorter than the first time interval, the control unit executes the operation corresponding to the requested operation again.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, after the operation corresponding to the requested operation is executed again, the control unit does not execute the operation corresponding to the requested operation again until a request of cancelling the operation from the external apparatus is accepted.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, with respect to a plurality of operations which the communication apparatus can accept through the remote operation, a duration time for repeatedly executing a corresponding operation in a case where the operation is continued is set individually, and

wherein the first time interval is a time interval corresponding to the operation having a shortest duration time from among the plurality of operations which the communication apparatus can accept through the remote operation.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where an operation which the remote operation is accepted from the external apparatus is not a predetermined operation, the control unit performs control not to execute the operation corresponding to the requested operation again regardless of a relationship between the time interval set by the setting unit and the first time interval.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined operation is an operation of switching whether to execute an operation corresponding to the predetermined operation singularly or repeatedly based on continuity of the accepted operation.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the time interval set by the setting unit is longer than the first time interval,

wherein, in a case where the determination unit determines that the set time interval is longer than the first time interval, the communication unit transmits a request of changing the time interval to the external apparatus and receives a response to the request from the external apparatus, and

wherein the setting unit changes a setting to a second time interval that is shorter than the first time interval based on the response from the external apparatus.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, in a case where the communication unit transmits the request of changing the time interval, the control unit controls a display unit to display a notification for notifying a delay in a response with respect to the remote operation to a user of the communication apparatus.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a display unit configured to display an image, wherein the request of the operation is a request with respect to image display executed by the display unit.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an imaging unit configured to image an object, wherein the request of the operation is a request with respect to imaging executed by the imaging unit.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the imaging unit executes auto-focus processing,

wherein the control unit can change a setting of the auto-focus processing,

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode in a state where the auto-focus processing is set to a continuous auto-focus mode, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit controls the communication apparatus to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed, and

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode in a state where the auto-focus processing is not set to the continuous auto-focus mode, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control not to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode and movement of the object is detected, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit controls the communication apparatus to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed, and

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode and movement of the object is not detected, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control not to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode in a state where the communication apparatus is moving, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit controls the communication apparatus to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed, and

wherein, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode in a state where the communication apparatus is not moving, the setting unit changes the time interval to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control not to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

15. An information processing apparatus that remotely operates an imaging apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with the imaging apparatus at a time interval set by the imaging apparatus;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation; and

a control unit configured to perform control to communicate with the imaging apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remote operation mode for remotely operating the imaging apparatus based on an operation input to the information processing apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication is executed with the imaging apparatus in the remote operation mode, the time interval is changed to a shorter interval, and the control unit performs control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

16. A control method of a communication apparatus that communicates with an external apparatus to accept a remote operation from the external apparatus, the control method comprising:

setting a time interval with respect to a timing of communicating with the external apparatus;

communicating with the external apparatus at the set time interval;

performing control to, based on a request of an operation through the remote operation received from the external apparatus, communicate with the external apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remotely operated mode in which an operation corresponding to a requested operation is executed; and

notifying a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed, while the time interval is changed to a shorter interval in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode.

17. A control method of an information processing apparatus remotely operating an imaging apparatus, the control method comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the imaging apparatus at a time interval set by the imaging apparatus;

accepting a user operation;

performing control to communicate with the imaging apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remote operation mode for remotely operating the imaging apparatus based on an operation input to the information processing apparatus, and

changing, in a case where communication is executed with the imaging apparatus in the remote operation mode, the time interval to a shorter interval and performing control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer executable instructions for causing a computer to execute a control method of a communication apparatus that communicates with an external apparatus to accept a remote operation from the external apparatus, the control method comprising:

setting a time interval with respect to a timing of communicating with the external apparatus;

communicating with the external apparatus at the set time interval;

performing control to, based on a request of the operation through the remote operation received from the external apparatus, communicate with the external apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remotely operated mode in which an operation corresponding to a requested operation is executed; and

changing, in a case where a mode is shifted to the remotely operated mode, the time interval to a shorter interval and performing control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer readable instructions for causing a computer to execute a control method of an information processing apparatus that remotely operates an imaging apparatus, the control method comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the imaging apparatus at a time interval set by the imaging apparatus;

accepting a user operation;

performing control to communicate with the imaging apparatus in one of a plurality of modes including a remote operation mode for remotely operating the imaging apparatus based on an operation input to the information processing apparatus; and

changing, in a case where communication is executed with the imaging apparatus in the remote operation mode, the time interval to a shorter interval and performing control to notify a user that the time interval is a long interval until a change of the time interval is completed.