Image processing apparatus to transmit moving image data

• US 8,077,222 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Niida, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spinks, Antoinette
• Application Number:
  US12/265,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 386/241, 386/246
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a moving image generating unit configured to generate moving image data, an instructions providing unit configured to set a frame rate of the moving image data and provide instructions to change a frame rate to the set frame rate, a control unit configured to control the moving image generating unit to generate moving image data of the frame rate set by the instructions providing unit, an additional information generating unit configured to generate additional information indicating a change of the frame rate of the moving image data in response to the instructions to change the frame rate, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the moving image data generated by the moving image generating unit and the additional information. The transmitting unit transmits the additional information before a frame rate change point in the moving image data.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a moving image generating unit configured to generate moving image data;

an instructions providing unit configured to provide a frame rate changing instruction to change a frame rate of the moving image data;

a control unit configured to control the moving image generating unit such that the frame rate of the moving image data generated by the moving image generating unit is changed from a first frame rate to a second frame rate in accordance with the frame rate changing instruction provided by the instructions providing unit;

an additional information generating unit configured to generate additional information indicating the second frame rate in accordance with the frame rate changing instruction provided by the instructions providing unit;

a multiplexing unit configured to add the additional information to the moving image data of the first frame rate generated by the moving image generating unit,

wherein the multiplexing unit starts to add the additional information to the moving image data of the first frame rate from a predetermined period before a frame rate changing point at which the frame rate of the moving image data generated by the moving image generating unit is changed from the first frame rate to the second frame rate; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the moving image data and the additional information output from the multiplexing unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the moving image generating unit to change the frame rate of the moving image data in accordance with the frame rate changing instruction provided by the instructions providing unit while the moving image data of the first frame rate is being transmitted by the transmitting unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes countdown information indicating a number of frames from a frame of the moving image data of the first frame rate to the frame rate change point in the moving image data.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the additional information generating unit generates the additional information for each frame of the predetermined period immediately before the frame rate changing point, and a value of the countdown information is decremented by one at every frame.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multiplexing unit starts to add the additional information to the moving image data of the first frame rate from n frames before the frame rate change point, wherein n is an integer having a value greater than or equal to one.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the multiplexing unit determines the value of n based on a value of the first frame rate.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions providing unit selects any of a plurality of predetermined frame rates and sets the selected frame rate as the second frame rate.

8. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

generating moving image data;

providing a frame rate changing instruction to change a frame rate of the moving image data;

controlling the generation of moving image data such that the frame rate of the generated moving image data is changed from a first frame rate to a second frame rate in accordance with the provided frame rate changing instruction;

generating additional information indicating the second frame rate in accordance with the provided frame rate changing instruction;

adding the additional information to the generated moving image data of the first frame rate,

wherein adding starts to add the additional information to the moving image data of the first frame rate from a predetermined period before a frame rate changing point at which the frame rate of the generated moving image data is changed from the first frame rate to the second frame rate; and

transmitting output added moving image data and additional information.