Image capturing apparatus

• US 20050231599A1
• Filed: 04/11/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.990
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0129 comprising devices for correcting parallax
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/14 for taking photographs during medical operations
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/634 Warning indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

The present invention provides an image capturing apparatus which captures moving images using a head mounted camera, records the obtained moving image data in a disk drive unit by dividing the moving image data into multiple blocks, records program chain information indicating the playback sequence of this moving image data, elapsed time relative from the time when the moving image data of each block is shot, biological information such as line-of-sight direction information detected simultaneously with the moving image data, the angular velocity information of the head, and the like, and information for detecting elapsed time relative from the time when this biological information is detected, in the disk drive unit, and automatically subjects the moving image data to editing such as cutting, blurring correction, zooming, electronic zooming, or the like based on the recorded biological information.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

moving image data recording means for recording moving image data by dividing the moving image data into multiple blocks, and also recording moving image playback program chain information indicating the playback sequence of the moving image data and elapsed time relative from the time when the moving image data in each block is shot; and

biological information recording means for recording biological information, which is information detected at the same time as the moving image data prior to editing, for editing the moving image data, and information for detecting elapsed time relative from the time when the biological information is detected.

2. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving image data is data obtained by photographing using a camera mounted on the head of a photographer.

3. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological information includes angular velocity information according to the angular velocity of the head of a photographer.

4. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein editing performed as to the moving image data based on the angular velocity information includes at least any one of cutting, blur correction, extending of a recording period, and electronic zooming, of the recorded image data.

5. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological information includes line-of-sight direction information according to the line-of-sight direction of a photographer.

6. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein editing performed as to the moving image data based on the line-of-sight direction information includes the electronic zooming of the recorded image data.

7. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the line-of-sight direction information is information including at least one of movement speed in the line-of-sight direction and the consecutive amount-of-movement in the line-of-sight direction.