IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120086804A1
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yoshihito, Tajima, Shigeru, Yamazaki, Daisuke, Suzuki, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US13/086,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086804A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

There is provided an imaging apparatus including a power generation unit which converts natural energy into electric energy and generates electric power, an imaging unit which captures a subject image and generates imaging data, a memory which stores the imaging data, a radio communication unit which transmits the imaging data stored in the memory, a control unit which controls operation of the imaging unit and of the radio communication unit, and a battery which is charged with the generated electric energy and supplies electric power to the imaging unit, the memory, the radio communication unit, and the control unit, where the control unit estimates a charge amount of the battery in the future based on average power generation of the power generation unit and changes operation of the imaging unit or of the radio communication unit, based on the charge amount in the future.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a power generation unit which converts natural energy into electric energy and generates electric power;

an imaging unit which captures a subject image and generates imaging data;

a memory which stores the imaging data;

a radio communication unit which transmits the imaging data stored in the memory;

a control unit which controls operation of the imaging unit and of the radio communication unit; and

a battery which is charged with the generated electric energy and supplies electric power to the imaging unit, the memory, the radio communication unit, and the control unit,

wherein the control unit estimates a charge amount of the battery in the future based on average power generation of the power generation unit and changes operation of the imaging unit or of the radio communication unit, based on the charge amount in the future.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit calculates a remaining amount of memory of the memory and calculates a remaining amount of electric power of the battery and changes operation of the imaging unit or of the radio communication unit, based on the remaining amount of memory and the remaining amount of electric power, which were calculated.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit changes operation of the imaging unit by controlling image quality of the imaging data, a compression rate of the imaging data, and imaging frequency or an imaging range of the imaging unit.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit changes operation of the radio communication unit by controlling transmission frequency of the imaging data.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit causes the radio communication unit to receive imaging data from an external imaging apparatus and to transmit the received imaging data to another external imaging apparatus, based on the charge amount in the future.

6. A method of controlling an imaging apparatus, comprising the steps of:

converting by a power generation unit natural energy into electric energy and generating by the power generation unit electric power;

capturing by an imaging unit a subject image and generating by the imaging unit imaging data;

storing by a memory the imaging data;

transmitting by a radio communication unit the imaging data stored in the memory;

controlling by a control unit operation of the imaging unit and of the radio communication unit;

charging by a battery the generated electric energy and supplying by the battery electric power to the imaging unit, the memory, the radio communication unit, and the control unit, and

estimating by the control unit a charge amount of the battery in the future based on average power generation of the power generation unit and changing by the control unit operation of the imaging unit or of the radio communication unit, based on the charge amount in the future.