Image shooting apparatus, display apparatus and image shooting and display apparatus

• US 20070077056A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uchiumi, Tadashi, Nomura, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/325
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/00 Stereoscopic photography
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/359 Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes

Abstract

An image shooting and display apparatus includes: a plurality of image pickup portions. An image pickup controller switches image pickup portions to be used in accordance with the image shooting mode. It also switches the image shooting mode in accordance with the image pickup portions to be actuated in accordance with the usage condition of the apparatus. A mode switching controller switches shooting mode and display mode, and controls image pickup portions suitable for each mode by way of the image pickup controller and also controls an image display portion.

Claims

1. An image shooting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup means which can be controlled to be individually active or inactive;

an image pickup control means for controlling the plurality of image pickup means; and

a mode switching control means for performing switching control between a plurality of image shooting modes in accordance with an operating status of the image pickup means,

wherein among the plurality of image pickup means, at least one image pickup means is variable in distance from the other image pickup means.

2. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mode switching control means sets the shooting mode of the apparatus into a normal shooting mode when, among the plurality of image pickup means, only a single image pickup means is operated for image shooting.

3. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mode switching control means switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into stereoscopic shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup means, at least two image pickup means, arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other, or set a predetermined distance apart from each other by shifting at least one of the plurality of imagepickup means, are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup means lie on the same plane and the optical axes are parallel to each other or intersect each other at a point on that plane forwards with respect to these image pickup means.

4. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mode switching control means switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into panorama shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup means, at least two image pickup means are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup means lie on the same plane and the optical axes intersect each other at a point on that plane rearwards with respect to these image pickup means.

5. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mode switching control means switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into plural scene shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup means, at least two image pickup means are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup means do not exist within the same plane.

6. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processing means for subjecting to captured data of images from the plurality of image pickup means to a correcting process for correcting a difference of a characteristic between the image pickup means.

7. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein among the plurality of image pickup means, at least two image pickup means are arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the image shooting apparatus.

8. A display apparatus, comprising:

an image display means capable of displaying at least a stereoscopic image other than a normal image; and

a display mode switching control means for implementing switching control between a plurality of display modes provided for the image display means,

wherein the display mode switching control means judges a format of image data to be displayed and determines the display mode of the display means.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a display mode selecting means for determining an image display mode in accordance with a usage condition of the apparatus,

wherein the display mode selecting means determines a direction of the image to be displayed in accordance with the usage condition of the apparatus.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the user has given instructions, the display mode selecting means determines the direction of the image to be displayed following the user instructions.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display mode switching control means controls a display area of the image to be displayed and modifies a display size of the image to be displayed so that it fits within the display area of the display means.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the entire image does not fit within a display area of the display means, the display mode switching control means can scroll part of the image to be displayed in accordance with user'"'"'s instructions when the user has given the instructions.

13. An image shooting and display apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup means which can be controlled to be individually active or inactive;

an image pickup control means for controlling the plurality of image pickup means;

a mode switching control means for performing switching control between a plurality of image shooting modes in accordance with an operating status of the image pickup means; and

a display means capable of displaying both a normal image and a stereoscopic image,

wherein the mode switching control means determines a display mode of the display means in accordance with the image shooting mode.

14. An image shooting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup portions which can be controlled to be individually active or inactive;

an image pickup controller for controlling the plurality of image pickup portions; and

a mode switching controller for performing switching control between a plurality of image shooting modes in accordance with an operating status of the image pickup portions,

wherein among the plurality of image pickup portions, at least one image pickup portion is variable in distance from the other image pickup portions.

15. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the mode switching controller sets the shooting mode of the apparatus into a normal shooting mode when, among the plurality of image pickup portions, only a single image pickup portion is operated for image shooting.

16. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the mode switching controller switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into stereoscopic shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup portions, at least two image pickup portions, arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other, or set a predetermined distance apart from each other by shifting at least one of the plurality of image pickup portions, are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup portions lie on the same plane and the optical axes are parallel to each other or intersect each other at a point on that plane forwards with respect to these image pickup portions.

17. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the mode switching controller switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into panorama shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup portions, at least two image pickup portions are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup portions lie on the same plane and the optical axes intersect each other at a point on that plane rearwards with respect to these image pickup portions.

18. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the mode switching controller switches the image shooting mode of the apparatus into plural scene shooting mode when among the plurality of image pickup portions, at least two image pickup portions are actuated in such a state that optical axes of the image pickup portions do not exist within the same plane.

19. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an image processor for subjecting to captured data of images from the plurality of image pickup portions to a correcting process for correcting the difference of a characteristic between the image pickup portions.

20. The image shooting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein among the plurality of image pickup portions, at least two image pickup portions are arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the image shooting apparatus.

21. A display apparatus, comprising:

an image display portion capable of displaying at least a stereoscopic image other than a normal image; and

a display mode switching controller for implementing switching control between a plurality of display modes provided for the image display portion,

wherein the display mode switching controller judges a format of image data to be displayed and determines the display mode of the display portion.

22. The display apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a display mode selector for determining an image display mode in accordance with a usage condition of the apparatus,

wherein the display mode selector determines a direction of the image to be displayed in accordance with the usage condition of the apparatus.

23. The display apparatus according to claim 22, wherein when the user has given instructions, the displaymode selector determines the direction of the image to be displayed following the user instructions.

24. The display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the display mode switching controller controls a display area of the image to be displayed and modifies a display size of the image to be displayed so that it fits within the display area of the display portion.

25. The display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein when the entire image does not fit within a display area of the display portion, the display mode switching controller can scroll part of the image to be displayed in accordance with user'"'"'s instructions when the user has given the instructions.

26. An image shooting and display apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image pickup portions which can be controlled to be individually active or inactive;

an image pickup controller for controlling the plurality of image pickup portions;

a mode switching controller for performing switching control between a plurality of image shooting modes in accordance with an operating status of the image pickup portions; and

a display portion capable of displaying both a normal image and a stereoscopic image,

wherein the mode switching controller determines a display mode of the display portion in accordance with the image shooting mode.