Content shooting apparatus

• US 7,884,860 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Masaaki, Inai, Michifumi, Mimura, Masakazu, Matsuura, Kenji, Hamasaki, Takeshi, Morioka, Yoshihiro, Inoue, Hisasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco; John M
• Application Number:
  US12/067,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20090110372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 348/208.3, 348/208.12, 348/208.16, 348/231.3, 348/231.6
• US Class Current: 348/231.6
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A content shooting apparatus is provided, in which thresholds for generating metadata concerning shot images can be calibrated in accordance with shooting conditions.

In a content shooting apparatus (Acc) for converting content data (Dc) into a stream (AV) and recording the stream (AV) to a recording medium (214) in combination with content-related metadata (Dm), a camera (101) shoots a subject (105) and generates the content data (Dc), a camerawork statistics portion (206s) detects movement (σ) of the camera, a camera microcomputer (206) compares the detected movement (σ) with a predetermined value (Th) to generate the metadata (Dm), and an automatic threshold setting portion (206t) changes the predetermined value (Th) in accordance with the detected movement (σ).

Claims

1. A content shooting apparatus for converting content data containing video, audio, or data into a stream and recording the stream to a recording medium in combination with content-related metadata, the apparatus comprising:

shooting means for shooting a subject and generating the content data;

camerawork detection means for detecting movement of the shooting means;

metadata generation means for comparing the detected movement with a predetermined value to generate the metadata; and

calibration means for changing the predetermined value in accordance with the detected movement.

2. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising shooting means placement determination means for determining placement of the shooting means based on the movement detected during a predetermined period of time.

3. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined value is a noise power threshold of at least one of the following:

a moving speed and a rotational speed for determining a fixing status of the shooting means, the apparatus further comprising means for comparing a square mean value of either a moving speed or a rotational speed of the shooting means, or both, with the noise power threshold.

4. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when an operation power supply for the shooting means is on, the noise power threshold is a value computed based on at least one of the moving speed and the rotational speed of the shooting means, which are detected during a predetermined period of time before shooting is started.

5. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when an operation power supply for the shooting means is on, the noise power threshold is an externally provided value.

6. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising camerawork determination means for determining whether camerawork of the shooting means is normal based on a result of comparing the detected movement with a predetermined value, wherein,

the calibration means performs control, such that proportion of a determination that the camerawork is normal falls within a predetermined range, by comparing the square mean value of either the moving speed or the rotational speed of the shooting means, or both, with the externally provided noise power threshold, and decreasing the predetermined value if the square mean value is less than or equal to the noise power threshold, or increasing the predetermined value if the square mean value is more than the noise power threshold.

7. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising camerawork determination means for determining whether camerawork of the shooting means is normal based on a result of comparing the detected movement to a predetermined value, wherein,

the calibration means performs control, such that proportion of a determination that the camerawork is abnormal falls within a predetermined range, by comparing a square mean value of either the moving speed or the rotational speed of the shooting means, or both, with the externally provided noise power threshold, and decreasing the predetermined value if the square mean value is less than or equal to the noise power threshold, or increasing the predetermined value if the square mean value is more than the noise power threshold.

8. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an angular velocity sensor for detecting a rotational angular velocity of the shooting means, wherein the movement is detected based on the detected rotational angular velocity.

9. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising content classification means for classifying video or audio corresponding to the detected movement as invalid content when the detected movement is greater than the predetermined value.

10. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein,

the shooting means includes:

a lens portion for generating an optical image of the subject;

an image sensor for generating image data based on the optical image; and

imaging portion control means for controlling operations of the lens portion and the image sensor, and

the movement is detected based on at least one of the following;

a zooming value, an aperture value, a focal distance, and a shutter speed of the lens portion.

11. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising control means for correlating at least one of the following with corresponding content as metadata:

the zooming value, the aperture value, the focal distance, the shutter speed, classification information from the content classification means, a time code of the video, and a time code of the audio.

12. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

camerawork determination means for determining whether camerawork of the shooting means is normal based on a result of comparing the detected movement to a predetermined value; and

means for generating an alarm signal when proportion of a determination that the camerawork is abnormal exceeds a predetermined range, the alarm signal indicating that the camerawork is abnormal.

13. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating a playlist to control playing back of content from the information storage medium based on the metadata.

14. The content shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating edit information to edit content recorded on the information storage medium based on the metadata.