IMAGE CAPTURE APPARATUS THAT PHOTOGRAPHS A SPECIFIC SUBJECT, A COMMUNICATION METHOD, A STORAGE MEDIUM AND A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20140285679A1
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: SAITOU, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00336 with an apparatus performing pattern recognition, e.g. of a face or a geographic feature image or video recognition or understanding of scenes G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32117 in a separate transmission or protocol signal prior to or subsequent to the image data transmission, e.g. in digital identification signal [DIS], in non standard setup [NSS] or in non standard field [NSF] for mode signalling H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

An image capture apparatus includes a second communication control unit, a first communication control unit and a communication unit. The second communication control unit controls the communication unit so as to transmit information of a face image serving as identification information to identify a specific subject to one other image capture apparatus. The first communication control unit controls the communication unit so as to receive from the other image capture apparatus, from among images captured by the image capture unit included in each image capture apparatus, an image in which a subject designated by the transmitted face image is captured.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus comprising:

a transmission control section that transmits identification information for identifying a specific subject to one other apparatus; and

a reception control section that receives, from among images photographed by an image capture section included in the other apparatus, an image in which a subject designated by identification information transmitted by the transmission control section is photographed by the other apparatus having received the identification information, and is transmitted to an own apparatus address.

2. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception control section further receives the identification information transmitted from the other apparatus, and

wherein the transmission control section transmits, to one other apparatus having transmitted the identification information, an image in which a subject designated by the identification information received by the reception control section is photographed by way of the image capture section included in the own apparatus.

3. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception control section receives from the other apparatus an image transmitted, in a case of the subject designated by the identification information transmitted by the transmission control section being photographed in the other apparatus and transmitted to the own apparatus address when the own apparatus is in a state capable of image capture.

4. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is a face image similar to characteristic information of a subject used in image designation.

5. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is information specifying characteristic information of the subject differing from characteristic information of the subject used in image recognition.

6. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception control section determines propriety of reception according to whether the subject designated by the identification information has been recognized within a captured image.

7. The image capture apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the reception control section determines whether the subject designated by the identification information has been recognized within a captured image, based on a priority order of a subject being set.

8. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific subject is a specific person.

9. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image captured by the image capture section and an image received by the reception control section are a moving image, still image or continuous shooting image.

10. The image capture apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an image correction section that corrects a joining portion between moving images at a switching timing of a plurality of moving images, in a case of the image received being a moving image.

11. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storing control section that controls storing of an image,

wherein the storing control section controls a storing section so as to store an image received.

12. The image capture apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the storing control section controls the storing section, in a case of an image in which the subject designated by the identification information is captured not being included among images received by the reception control section, so as not to store the image captured.

13. The image capture apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the storing control section controls the storing section, in a case of the subject designated by the identification information being captured in the own apparatus, so as to store the image captured.

14. An image capture apparatus comprising:

a reception control section that receives identification information of a subject designated by one other apparatus; and

a transmission control section that transmits, from among images captured by an image capture section included in an own apparatus, an image in which a subject designated by identification information of a subject received by the reception control section is captured, to the other apparatus having transmitted identification information in which the subject is designated.

15. A communication method executed by an image capture apparatus, comprising the steps of:

transmitting identification information that identifies a specific subject to one other apparatus; and

receiving, from among images captured by an image capture section included in the other apparatus, an image in which a subject designated by the identification information transmitted in the step of transmitting is captured by the other apparatus having received the identification information, and transmitted to an own apparatus address.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium encoded with a program enabling a computer that controls an image capture apparatus to execute:

a transmission control function of transmitting identification information that identifies a specific subject to one other apparatus; and

a reception control function of receiving, from among images captured by an image capture section included in the other apparatus, an image in which a subject designated by the identification information transmitted by way of the transmission control function is captured by the other apparatus having received the identification information, and transmitted to an own apparatus address.

17. A communication system that transmits and receives an image between a plurality of image capture apparatuses,

wherein an image capture apparatus comprises:

a first transmission control section that transmits identification information of a subject designated to one other apparatus, and

a first reception control section that receives, from among images captured by an image capture section included in the other apparatus, an image in which the subject designated by the identification information transmitted by the first transmission control section is captured by the other apparatus having received the identification information, and is transmitted to an own apparatus address; and

wherein the other image capture apparatus comprises;

a second reception control section that receives identification information of a subject transmitted by the first transmission control section, and

a second transmission control section that transmits, from among images captured by an image capture section included in an own apparatus, an image in which the subject designated by the identification information received by the first reception control section is captured, to the other apparatus having transmitted the identification information in which the subject is designated.

18. A communication method executed by an image capture apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving identification information of a subject designated by one other apparatus; and

transmitting, from among images captured by an image capture section included in an own apparatus, an image in which the subject designated by the identification information received in the step of receiving is captured, to the other apparatus having transmitted identification information in which the subject is designated.

19. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium encoded with a program enabling a computer that controls an image capture apparatus to execute:

a reception control function of receiving identification information of a subject designated by one other apparatus; and

a transmission control function of transmitting, from among images captured by an image capture section included in an own apparatus, an image in which the subject designated by the identification information received by way of the reception control function is captured, to the other apparatus having transmitted identification information in which the subject is designated.