CONTROL APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20110122270A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/662 by using master/slave camera arrangements for affecting the control of camera image capture, e.g. placing the camera in a desirable condition to capture a desired image

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes a first communication unit configured to communicate with a control apparatus using a first communication protocol, an imaging unit configured to capture an image of a subject to obtain image data in response to an image capturing instruction from the control apparatus in a controlled state, a second communication unit configured to communicate with an external apparatus using a second communication protocol, and an activation unit configured to activate a function of receiving access using the second communication protocol from the external apparatus and transmitting the image data stored in the storage medium to the external apparatus.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit configured to communicate with a control apparatus using a first communication protocol;

a shifting unit configured to shift the imaging apparatus to a controlled state for operating under control using the first communication protocol from the control apparatus;

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of a subject to obtain image data in response to an image capturing instruction from the control apparatus in the controlled state;

a storage control unit configured to store the image data obtained by the imaging unit to a storage medium;

a second communication unit configured to communicate with an external apparatus using a second communication protocol; and

an activation unit configured to activate a function of receiving access using the second communication protocol from the external apparatus and transmitting the image data stored in the storage medium to the external apparatus,

wherein the activation unit activates the function if the shifting unit shifts the imaging apparatus to a controlled state.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is another imaging apparatus.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if an operation for instructing capturing image is performed in the other imaging apparatus in the controlled state, the imaging unit executes image capturing linked to the other imaging apparatus.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus is different from the external apparatus.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the activation unit activates the imaging apparatus as a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the access from the external apparatus is performed via a web browser for displaying the image data transmitted from the HTTP server.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the controlled state is terminated, the function activated by the activation unit is terminated.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting unit configured to, if the controlled state is terminated, select whether to terminate a server function activated by the activation unit or to maintain the server function without terminating.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer-executable process, the computer-executable process causing a computer to function as an imaging apparatus of claim 1.

9. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus that communicates with a control apparatus using a first communication protocol and communicates with an external apparatus using a second communication protocol, the method comprising:

shifting the imaging apparatus to a controlled state for operating under control using the first communication protocol from the control apparatus;

capturing an image of a subject to obtain image data in response to an image capturing instruction from the control apparatus in the controlled state;

storing the image data obtained by the image capturing to a storage medium; and

activating a function of receiving access using the second communication protocol from the external apparatus and transmitting the image data stored in the storage medium to the external apparatus,

wherein the function is activated if the imaging apparatus is shifted to a controlled state.