Imaging apparatus and imaging method

• US 8,294,776 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Tsuruta, Masaaki, Ito, Taiji, Asukai, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSU, AMY R
• Application Number:
  US11/856,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an imaging apparatus including imaging means confitured to photograph an image of a scene that is in a direction in which a user sees, outside world information acquisition means confitured to acquire outside world information, and control means confitured to control an operation of the imaging means based on the outside world information acquired by the outside world information acquisition means.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an imaging unit configured to record images of a scene;

an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information and information of the scene being recorded, the environment information including atmospheric data; and

a control unit, including a processor, configured to start and terminate a recording of images and to control a plurality of operations of said imaging unit based on both the environment information and information of the scene being recorded,

wherein the control unit also controls the plurality of operations based on the type of environment information and information of the scene being recorded.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display the image recorded by said imaging unit.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recording unit configured to record the images recorded by said imaging unit on a storage medium.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit the image recorded by said imaging unit to an external device.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control unit controls said transmission unit to start or terminate transmission based on the environment information and the information of the scene being recorded.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said imaging unit includes a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor as an imaging device.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit is a sensor configured to detect a situation of a surrounding environment as the environment information.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit is a sensor configured to detect information concerning an imaging object of said imaging unit as the environment information.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit acquires current position information as the environment information.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit acquires a current date and time as the environment information.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit acquires the environment information via communication with an external device.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment information acquisition unit acquires the environment information and information of the scene being recorded via image analysis performed on the image recorded by said imaging unit.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environment information acquired by said environment information acquisition unit is information of a brightness, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, or weather of surroundings.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of a distance to an imaging object of said imaging unit.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information or energy of infrared rays emitted by an imaging object of said imaging unit.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information or energy of ultraviolet rays emitted by an imaging object of said imaging unit.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information for identifying an imaging object of said imaging unit.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information for identifying a person, an animal, a structure, a natural object, or a device as an imaging object of said imaging unit.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of a motion of an imaging object of said imaging unit.

20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information for identifying an individual person as an imaging object of said imaging unit.

21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information for determining whether an imaging object of said imaging unit includes a letter.

22. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of a place corresponding to a current position.

23. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of a structure or a natural object in an area corresponding to a current position.

24. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of brightness or clearness of the image recorded by said imaging unit.

25. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the scene being recorded includes information of brightness or clearness of a part of the image recorded by said imaging unit.

26. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls activation and deactivation of an imaging operation in said imaging unit.

27. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts an angle of view of said imaging unit between telephoto and wide-angle extremes.

28. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts a focus in said imaging unit.

29. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts imaging sensitivity in said imaging unit.

30. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts infrared imaging sensitivity in said imaging unit.

31. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts ultraviolet imaging sensitivity in said imaging unit.

32. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts imaging sensitivity in a part of an imaging device in said imaging unit.

33. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts a frame rate in said imaging unit.

34. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls an operation of a photographic lens system in said imaging unit.

35. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls an operation of an imaging signal processing section that processes an imaging signal obtained by an imaging device in said imaging unit.

36. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an illumination unit configured to provide illumination in the direction in which a user sees,

wherein, based on the environment information and the information of the scene being recorded, said control unit controls an operation of providing illumination performed by said illumination unit.

37. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speech synthesis unit configured to perform speech synthesis based on a letter included in the image recorded by said imaging unit to generate synthesized speech; and

an audio output unit configured to output the synthesized speech generated by said speech synthesis unit,

wherein, based on the environment information and information of the scene being recorded, said control unit controls an operation of outputting the synthesized speech generated by said speech synthesis unit.

38. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit:

starts the recording of images, without a user input, when it is determined from the environment information and the information of the scene being recorded that a detected illumination is lower than a first predetermined luminance level; and

terminates the recording of images, without the user input, when it is determined from the environment information and the information of the scene being recorded that the detected illumination is higher than a second predetermined luminance level.

39. An imaging method employed by an imaging apparatus that includes an imaging unit configured to record images of a scene, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring environment information and information of the scene being recorded of the scene being recorded, the environment information including atmospheric data;

starting and stopping a recording of images based on the environment information and information of the scene being recorded;

controlling a plurality of operations of the imaging unit based on both the environment information and information of the scene being recorded; and

controlling the plurality of operations based on the type of environment information and information of the scene being recorded.

40. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

imaging means for recording images of a scene;

environment information acquisition means for acquiring environment information and information of the scene being recorded of the scene being recorded, the environment information including atmospheric data; and

control means for starting and terminating a recording of images and for controlling a plurality of operations of said imaging means based on both the environment information and information of the scene being recorded,

wherein the control means also controls the plurality of operations based on the type of environment information and information of the scene being recorded.