Image pickup apparatus capable of recording object information

• US 20040135905A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suda, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,333,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus having: an image pickup unit for picking up an image of an object; an information detection unit for detecting, in a contactless manner, object information regarding the object stored in a contactless ID tag; a recording unit for recording the object information detected by the information detection unit onto a recording medium together with image data of the object picked up by the image pickup unit; and a control unit for setting detecting conditions in the information detection unit in accordance with an image pickup condition in the image pickup unit.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for picking up an image of an object;

information detecting means for detecting, in a contactless manner, object information regarding the object stored in a contactless ID tag;

recording means for recording the object information detected by said information detecting means onto a recording medium together with image data of the object picked up by said image pickup means; and

control means for setting detecting conditions of said information detecting means in accordance with an image pickup condition of said image pickup means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image pickup means has a zoom lens for zooming an angle of field, said information detecting means has an antenna, and said control means selects directivity of said antenna in accordance with a zoom amount of the zoom lens.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image pickup means has object distance detecting means for detecting an object distance as a distance to the object, and wherein said control means sets detection output sensitivity of said information detecting means in accordance with the object distance detected by the object distance detecting means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information detecting means supplies an electric power to said contactless ID tag in a contactless manner.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object information includes identification information for identifying the object.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object information is information peculiar to the object, which includes at least one of information on performance, characteristics, and a past history of the object.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object information is date information or time information concerned with the object, which includes at least one of manufacturing year/month/day, a birthday, a term of appreciation, and a term of use of the object.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contactless ID tag is provided for the object.

9. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for picking up an image of an object;

information detecting means for detecting, in a contactless manner, object information regarding the object stored in a contactless ID tag; and

recording means for recording the object information detected by said information detecting means onto a recording medium together with image data of the object picked up by said image pickup means in accordance with an image pickup condition of said image pickup means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said recording means records only specific object information which coincides with said image pickup condition among the object information detected by said information detecting means, onto said recording medium.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said image pickup means has object distance detecting means for detecting an object distance as a distance to the object, said information detecting means changes a power of a radio wave which is transmitted toward the object and detects the object information, and said recording means records only the object information according to the object distance detected by the object distance detecting means onto said recording medium.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising photographing mode setting means for setting a photographing mode of said image pickup means,

and wherein said recording means determines the object information to be recorded onto said recording medium in accordance with the photographing mode set by said photographing mode setting means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when a macro mode is set by said photographing mode setting means, said recording means records only the object information regarding the object at a shortest distance onto said recording medium.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when a landscape mode is set by said photographing mode setting means, said recording means records only the object information regarding the object at a distance which is farther than a predetermined distance onto said recording medium.

15. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when a goods photographing mode is set by said photographing mode setting means, said recording means records only the object information of goods onto said recording medium.

16. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when a person photographing mode is set by said photographing mode setting means, said recording means records only the object information of a person onto said recording medium.

17. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for picking up an image of an object;

information detecting means for detecting, in a contactless manner, object information regarding the object stored in a contactless ID tag;

recording means for recording the object information detected by said information detecting means onto a recording medium together with image data of the object picked up by said image pickup means; and

control means for setting a photographing mode of said image pickup means into a mode suitable for photographing the object on the basis of the object information detected by said information detecting means.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said control means presumes the object on the basis of the object information detected by said information detecting means and sets the mode of said image pickup means into a mode suitable for photographing said presumed object.