Image capturing system

• US 20060028558A1
• Filed: 10/12/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Jun, Aoki, Katsuji, Nobori, Kunio, Sato, Satoshi, Imagawa, Taro
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00281 with a telecommunication apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, a selective call terminal details of transmission H04N1/00095; establishing a communication with one of a facsimile machine or another apparatus sharing a single line H04N1/32704; interfacing cordless telephone terminals with an accessory to increase the functionality of user interface H04M1/72409
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus (100) of an image taker side has an image capturing unit (101) which captures an image using a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor and the like, an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit (102) which receives an image capturing restriction signal transmitted by a communication terminal (200), and an image capturing restriction unit (103) which restricts the image capturing performed by the image capturing unit (101) according to a request of the image capturing restriction signal. Further, the communication terminal (200) of a subject side has an image capturing restriction signal generation unit (201) which transmits the image capturing restriction signal for requesting to restrict the image capturing.

Claims

1. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

a communication terminal which communicates with said image capturing apparatus,

wherein said image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing notification signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing notification signal for notifying said communication terminal that an image capturing is to be performed;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive an image capturing restriction signal transmitted by said communication terminal; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit, and

said communication terminal includes;

an image capturing notification signal receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing notification signal transmitted by said image capturing notification signal receiving unit; and

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to transmit the image capturing restriction signal for restricting the image capturing performed by said image capturing apparatus, based on the image capturing notification signal received by said image capturing notification signal receiving unit.

2. The image capturing system according to claim 1,

wherein said image capturing apparatus further includes:

a subject information receiving unit operable to receive subject information that is information about a subject to be captured, and that is transmitted by said communication terminal carried by the subject; and

an image capturing information generation unit operable to transmit, to said communication terminal, image capturing information for judging whether or not the subject carrying said communication terminal allows the image capturing, based on the subject information received by said subject information receiving unit,

said communication terminal further includes;

a subject information generation unit operable to transmit the subject information to said image capturing apparatus based on the image capturing notification signal received by said image capturing notification signal receiving unit; and

an image capturing information receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing information transmitted by said image capturing information generation unit, and

said image capturing restriction signal generation unit is operable to transmit the image capturing restriction signal based on the image capturing information received by said image capturing information receiving unit.

3. The image capturing system according to claim 2,

wherein said image capturing information generation unit is operable to transmit a capturing prospective picture which is likely to be captured as image capturing information.

4. The image capturing system according to claim 3,

wherein said subject information generation unit is operable to transmit information for encrypting the image capturing information as subject information, and

said image capturing information generation unit is operable to encrypt the capturing prospective picture based on the information for encryption.

5. The image capturing system according to claim 1,

wherein the image capturing notification signal includes image taker information for specifying an image taker, and

said image capturing restriction signal generation unit is operable to judge whether or not restricting the image capturing based on the image taker information, and to transmit the image capturing restriction signal based on the judgment.

6. The image capturing system according to claim 5,

wherein the image taker information is identification (ID) information of the image taker, and

said image capturing restriction signal generation unit is operable to judge whether or not restricting the image capturing by comparing the ID information of the image taker with pre-registered ID information.

7. The image capturing system according to claim 5,

wherein the image taker information is position or direction information of said image capturing apparatus, and

said image capturing restriction signal generation unit is operable to notify a subject to be captured of the position or direction information of said image capturing apparatus, the subject carrying said communication terminal.

8. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

a communication terminal which communicates with said image capturing apparatus,

wherein said communication terminal includes

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to attach information relating to a subject to be captured to an image capturing restriction signal for restricting an image capturing performed by said image capturing apparatus, and to transmit the image capturing restriction signal attached with the information, the subject carrying said communication terminal and

said image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing restriction signal transmitted by said image capturing restriction signal generation unit; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to judge whether or not the subject carrying said communication terminal is included in an image capturing area of said image capturing apparatus based on the information attached to the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit, and to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal in the case where the subject is included in the image capturing area.

9. The image capturing system according to claim 8,

wherein the information attached to the image capturing restriction signal is position information indicating a position of said communication terminal, and

said image capturing restriction unit is operable to judge whether or not the subject carrying said communication terminal is included in the image capturing area of said image capturing apparatus by comparing the position of said communication terminal with the image capturing area of said image capturing apparatus, and to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal in the case where the subject is included in the image capturing area.

10. The image capturing system according to claim 8,

wherein the information attached to the image capturing restriction signal is image feature information indicating a feature of the subject carrying said communication terminal, and

said image capturing restriction unit is operable to judge whether or not the subject carrying said communication terminal is included in the image capturing area of said image capturing apparatus by comparing the feature of the subject based on the image feature information with an capturing prospective picture which is likely to be captured, and to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal in the case where the subject is included in the image capturing area.

11. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

a communication terminal which communicates with said image capturing apparatus,

wherein said communication terminal includes

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing restriction signal for requesting not to capture a subject to be captured, the subject carrying said communication terminal, and

said image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing restriction signal transmitted by said image capturing restriction signal generation unit; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to perform one of the following;

deleting a subject region in a captured picture; and

replacing the subject region with another image based on the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit.

12. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

a communication terminal which communicates with said image capturing apparatus,

wherein said communication terminal includes

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing restriction signal for requesting to capture only an image of a subject carrying said communication terminal and not to capture an image of background of the subject, and

said image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing restriction signal transmitted by said image capturing restriction signal generation unit; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to perform one of the following;

deleting a background region in a captured picture; and

replacing the background region with another image, based on the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit.

13. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

a communication terminal which communicates with said image capturing apparatus,

wherein said communication terminal includes

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing restriction signal for restricting an image capturing performed by said image capturing apparatus, and

said image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive the image capturing restriction signal transmitted by said image capturing restriction signal generation unit, and to estimate a position of a subject to be captured based on the image capturing restriction signal, the subject carrying said communication terminal; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit.

14. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image capturing notification signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing notification signal for notifying another apparatus that an image capturing is to be performed;

an image capturing restriction signal receiving unit operable to receive an image capturing restriction signal for restricting the image capturing, the image capturing restriction signal being transmitted by the another apparatus; and

an image capturing restriction unit operable to restrict the image capturing based on the image capturing restriction signal received by said image capturing restriction signal receiving unit.

15. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a subject information receiving unit operable to receive subject information that is information about a subject to be captured and that is transmitted by another apparatus carried by the subject; and

an image capturing information generation unit operable to transmit, to the another apparatus, image capturing information for judging whether or not the subject carrying the another apparatus allows the image capturing based on the subject information received by said subject information receiving unit.

16. A communication terminal which communicates with an image capturing apparatus, said terminal comprising:

an image capturing notification signal receiving unit operable to receive an image capturing notification signal transmitted by the image capturing apparatus; and

an image capturing restriction signal generation unit operable to transmit an image capturing restriction signal for restricting the image capturing performed by the image capturing apparatus based on the image capturing notification signal received by said image capturing notification signal receiving unit.

17. The communication terminal according to claim 16, further comprising:

a subject information generation unit operable to transmit subject information to the image capturing apparatus based on the image capturing notification signal received by said image capturing notification signal receiving unit, the subject information being information about a subject to be captured, and the subject carrying said communication terminal; and

an image capturing information receiving unit operable to receive image capturing information for judging whether or not the subject carrying said communication terminal allows the image capturing, the image capturing information being transmitted from the image capturing apparatus based on the subject information, and

said image capturing restriction signal generation unit is operable to transmit the image capturing restriction signal based on the image capturing information received by said image capturing information receiving unit.