Picture taking apparatus and method of controlling same

• US 7,305,089 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Morikawa, Goichi, Tokura, Go
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAN, APRIL YING
• Application Number:
  US10/460,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20030235326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 713/186, 713/176, 382/100, 382115-119, 382/224, 382/232, 382/168, 382276-308, 380/210, 380/252, 380/54, 380/287, 348/231.3, 348/372, 348/239
• US Class Current: 380/210
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32154 Transform domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/617 Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera

Abstract

The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer'"'"'s iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus for taking an image of a subject by an image sensing device, comprising:

registration means for registering in advance photographer'"'"'s biological information;

storing means for storing the biological information; and

personal data recording means for recording the biological information in a captured series of images,

wherein, attendant upon an operation by the photographer to turn off a power supply of the imaging apparatus after taking the series of images, said personal data recording means reads captured image data of the series of images recorded in a recording medium, and thereafter records the captured series of image data again with the biological information in the recording medium.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said personal data recording means records biological information, which has been acquired by said registration means, as a biological image.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said personal data recording means records biological information, which has been acquired by said registration means, as a personal authentication code obtained by coding the biological information by coding means that includes means for image processing.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said personal data recording means includes digital watermark embedding means for embedding selected biological information in the captured series of image data as a digital watermark.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said personal data recording means includes metadata write means for writing selected biological information as an item of image metadata serving an ancillary information attached in order to describe the captured series of image data.

6. An imaging apparatus for taking an image of a subject by an image sensing device, comprising:

a registration unit adapted to register in advance photographer'"'"'s biological information;

a storing unit adapted to store the biological information; and

a personal data recording unit adapted to record the biological information in a captured series of images,

wherein, attendant upon an operation by the photographer to turn off a power supply of the imaging apparatus after taking the series of images, said personal data recording unit reads captured image data of the series of images recorded in a recording medium, and thereafter records the captured series of image data again with the biological information in the recording medium.

7. A method of controlling an imaging apparatus for taking an image of a subject by an image sensing device, said method comprising the steps of:

registering in advance photographer'"'"'s biological information;

storing the biological information; and

recording the biological information in a captured series of images,

wherein, attendant upon an operation by the photographer to turn off a power supply of the imaging apparatus after taking the series of images, in said recording step, captured image data of the series of images recorded in a recording medium is read, and thereafter the captured series of image data is recorded again with the biological information in the recording medium.

8. A computer program stored in a computer readable medium to execute a method of controlling an imaging apparatus for taking an image of a subject by an image sensing device, said method comprising the steps of:

registering in advance photographer'"'"'s biological information;

storing the biological information; and

recording the biological information in a captured series of images,

wherein, attendant upon an operation by the photographer to turn off a power supply of the imaging apparatus after taking the series of images, in said recording step, captured image data of the series of images recorded in a recording medium is read, and thereafter the captured series of image data is recorded again with the biological information in the recording medium.