Imaging apparatus and imaging method

• US 20090073269A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Date, Osamu, Yoshida, Chisato
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0025 Adapting an image communication to a non-image communication or vice versa, e.g. data rate-conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0027 Adapting to communicate with plural different types of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

An imaging apparatus and an imaging method supply an optimum amount of image data to another apparatus. When a PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 1.5 Mbps, a mobile phone determines that the maximum speed of communication with the PDA is low, reduces the amount of moving image data captured by a CCD of the mobile phone accordingly, and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA therefore displays a low-quality moving image on its display unit. When the PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbps, the CPU of the mobile phone leaves unchanged the amount of moving picture data captured by the CCD and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA then displays a high-quality moving image on its display unit. The foregoing may be advantageously applied to digital cameras.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

imaging means for capturing image data of an object;

compressing means for compressing the captured image data;

transmitting means for transmitting the compressed image data to a communication device via a network and data other than the compressed image data; and

adjusting means for adjusting a compression rate for compressing the captured image data based on a communication speed at which the compressed image data are transmitted by said transmitting means, wherein said adjusting means raises the compression rate when said transmitting means transmits the other data.

2. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of units of said transmitting means; and

selecting means for selecting any one of said plurality of units of said transmitting means;

wherein said adjusting means adjusts the compression rate based on the communication speed at which the compressed image data are transmitted by the unit of said transmitting means selected by said selecting means.

3. An imaging method, comprising:

capturing image data of an object;

compressing the captured image data;

transmitting the compressed image data to a communication device via a network and data other than the compressed image data; and

adjusting a compression rate for compressing the captured image data based on a communication speed at which the compressed image data are transmitted in the transmitting step, wherein the adjusting step raises the compression rate when the transmitting step transmits the other data.

4. An imaging method according to claim 3, further comprising selecting any one of a plurality of transmitting units for transmitting the compressed image data, wherein

the transmitting step includes controlling the transmission so that the compressed image data is transmitted by the selected transmission unit;

and

the adjusting step adjusts the compression rate based on the communication speed at which the compressed image data are transmitted by the selected transmission unit.