Image capturing system

• US 20020191080A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ueyama, Masayuki, Terada, Tomoyuki, Iida, Kentaro, Shibatani, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

When an image capturing apparatus and an operation apparatus become connected to each other, function information is transmitted from the image capturing apparatus to the operation apparatus. The operation apparatus can recognize the functions effective in the image capturing apparatus by receiving the function information from the image capturing apparatus. The operation apparatus compares the received function information with the functions that can be processed by the operation apparatus, and sets the protocol. The protocol includes ones that is associated with a moving image attribute associated with moving image data and that is associated with the shooting function of the image capturing apparatus. Then, the operation apparatus transmits protocol information to the image capturing apparatus. Thereafter, the image capturing apparatus and the operation apparatus perform data communication based on the protocol.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image generator for shooting a subject and for generating an image signal;

an image processor for receiving the image signal generated by the image generator and for generating moving image data;

a receiver for receiving, from an operation apparatus, information on a moving image function that can be executed by the operation apparatus;

a controller for causing the image processor to perform an image processing based on the information on the moving image function; and

a transmitter for transmitting, to the operation apparatus, moving image data processed based on the information on the moving image function.

2. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the moving image function includes a frame rate of the moving image data.

3. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing at least one frame of image data, and the transmitter transits, to the operation apparatus, data representing that the image capturing apparatus has an image recording function using the memory.

4. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image processor generates image data for recording based on information on a recording image function different from the information on the moving image function when a recording command is received from the operation apparatus, and the memory stores the generated image data for recording.

5. An operation apparatus capable of controlling an image capture apparatus, comprising:

a receiver for receiving moving image data from the image capturing apparatus;

a display for displaying a moving image based on the received moving image data;

a transmitter for transmitting information on a moving image function that can be processed by the operation apparatus to the image capturing apparatus before the moving image data is received; and

a controller for causing the display to display the moving image based on the moving image data received from the image capturing apparatus.

6. An operation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information on the moving image function includes a frame rate of the moving image data.

7. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image generator for shooting a subject and for generating an image signal;

an image processor for receiving the image signal generated by the image generator and for generating image data;

a function information receiver for receiving, from an operation apparatus, function information of the operation apparatus;

a transmitter for transmitting function information of the image capturing apparatus to the operation apparatus before the image data is generated;

a command receiver for receiving, from an operation apparatus, a command corresponding to the function information of the image capturing apparatus; and

a controller for controlling the image generator based on the received command and for controlling the image processor based on the received function information of the operation apparatus.

8. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the function information of the image capturing apparatus includes information on a function of the image generator.

9. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image generator is capable of changing a shooting direction or a shooting magnification, and the information on the function of the image generator includes a changeable range of the shooting direction or the shooting magnification.

10. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the function information of the operation apparatus is information on a moving image function that can be processed by the operation apparatus, and the image processor generates a moving image data based on the information on the moving image function.

11. An operation apparatus capable of controlling an image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an operation member for inputting an operation command to an image capturing apparatus;

a receiver for receiving information on a function of the image capturing apparatus from the image capturing apparatus;

a controller for determining an operation target function of the image capturing apparatus based on the information on the function of the image capturing apparatus;

a command transmitter for transmitting, when an operation command associated with the operation target function by the operation member is issued, a command corresponding to the operation command to the image capturing apparatus; and

a function information transmitter for transmitting function information of the operation apparatus to the image capturing apparatus before the command is transmitted.

12. An operation apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a display for displaying the operation target function.

13. An operation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display provides, as the display based on the operation target function, a display concerning a changeable range of a shooting direction and a current shooting direction of the image capturing apparatus, or a changeable range of a shooting magnification and a current shooting magnification of the image capturing apparatus.

14. An operation apparatus according to claim 12,

The display further displays an image data processed based on the function information of the operation apparatus.

15. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the function information of the operation apparatus is information on a moving image function that can be processed by the operation apparatus.

17. An image capturing system according to claim 16, wherein the first controller controls an image processor for processing an image data.

18. An image capturing system according to claim 17, wherein the image processor generates a movie image data.

19. An image capturing system according to claim 18, wherein the second controller controls an image processor for processing the movie image data.

16. An image capturing system having an image capturing apparatus and an operation apparatus, comprising:

a first transmitter for transmitting a function information of the image capturing apparatus to the operation apparatus;

a second transmitter for transmitting a function information of the operation apparatus to the image capturing apparatus;

a comparator for comparing the function information of the image capturing apparatus with the function information of the operation apparatus;

a determiner for determining a common function;

a first controller for controlling the image capturing apparatus based on the common function; and

a second controller for controlling the operation apparatus based on the common function.