Image pickup control apparatus, image pickup control method and computer readable medium for changing an image pickup mode

• US 8,605,158 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshizumi, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh, Justin P
• Application Number:
  US12/951,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/38 Releasing-devices separate from shutter integral with shutter G03B9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0058 Docking-station, cradle or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An image pickup control apparatus, includes: a trigger acceptance section adapted to accept a predetermined trigger input as a changeover input from an automatic image pickup mode to a request responding image pickup mode; and a request responding image pickup control section adapted to establish, when the trigger input is accepted by the trigger acceptance section while an image pickup apparatus is carrying out still picture image pickup operation with an image pickup visual field of the image pickup apparatus changed in the automatic image pickup mode, the request responding image pickup mode and control the image pickup apparatus to execute a process for determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with an image pickup request and then execute still picture image pickup operation after the determination of the image pickup visual field.

Claims

1. An image pickup control apparatus, comprising:

a trigger acceptance section configured to accept a predetermined trigger input as an input to change from an automatic image pickup mode to a request responding image pickup mode; and

a request responding image pickup control section configured to operate, upon determination that the trigger input is accepted by said trigger acceptance section while an image pickup apparatus performs a still picture image pickup operation with an image pickup visual field of the image pickup apparatus changed in the automatic image pickup mode, the image pickup control apparatus in the request responding image pickup mode in which the image pickup apparatus is controlled to execute a process for determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with an image pickup request from a user and subsequently execute a still picture image pickup operation in the request responding image pickup mode after the determination of the image pickup visual field, wherein

in the automatic image pickup mode, the image pickup apparatus automatically performs the still picture image pickup operation regardless of the image pickup request from the user.

2. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a picked up image recording control section configured to control the still picture image pickup operation of the image pickup apparatus which carries out image pickup of an image pickup object and recording of picked up image data into a recording medium;

an image pickup visual field variation section configured to change the image pickup visual field of the image pickup apparatus;

an image pickup visual field variation control section configured to control the image pickup visual field variation section; and

an image pickup preparation processing section configured to carry out a process of determining an image pickup visual field for still picture image pickup;

said request responding image pickup control section being operable to control, upon determination that the trigger input is accepted by said trigger acceptance section while the image pickup apparatus is carrying out still picture image pickup under the control of said picked up image recording control section while said image pickup visual field variation control section controls the image pickup visual field variation section in the automatic image pickup mode, said image pickup preparation processing section to execute a process of determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with the image pickup request in the request responding image pickup mode and cause a still picture image pickup operation to be executed under the control of said picked up image recording control section after the determination of the image pickup visual field.

3. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an image pickup prediction operation control section configured to control execution of a prediction operation for predicting that still picture image pickup will be carried out,

said request responding image pickup control section being operable to control said image pickup preparation processing section to execute a process for determining an image pickup visual field for a request responding image pickup operation in the request responding image pickup mode, control, after the determination of the image pickup visual field, the prediction operation to be executed under the control of said image pickup prediction operation control section and then cause the still picture image pickup operation to be executed under the control of said picked up image recording control section.

4. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said trigger acceptance section accepts a predetermined operation input by a user as the trigger input.

5. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said trigger acceptance section accepts a predetermined sound input as the trigger input.

6. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said trigger acceptance section determines that a particular image pickup object state is decided from a picked up image as the trigger input.

7. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the request responding image pickup mode, said image pickup preparation processing section carries out an image pickup object detection process for moving an image pickup object in accordance with the image pickup request into the image pickup visual field while said image pickup visual field variation control section controls the image pickup visual field variation section.

8. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the request responding image pickup mode, said image pickup preparation processing section carries out a composition process of adjusting the arrangement of an image pickup object image in the image pickup visual field while said image pickup visual field variation control section controls the image pickup visual field variation section.

9. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the composition process includes a process of further moving, upon determination that one or more image pickup objects are detected in the image pickup visual field, the image pickup visual field to confirm presence of another image pickup object in accordance with the image pickup request.

10. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image pickup preparation processing section carries out the composition process in the automatic image pickup mode and carries out, in the request responding image pickup mode, the composition process in a processing procedure or with a processing parameter different from that in the automatic image pickup mode.

11. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said trigger acceptance section detects an inputting direction of the trigger input, and said image pickup preparation processing section causes said image pickup visual field variation control section to control the image pickup visual field variation section in the inputting direction.

12. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said request responding image pickup control section causes a process of determining an image pickup visual field for a request responding image pickup operation to be executed in the request responding image pickup mode and causes a still picture image pickup operation to be executed upon determination that a predetermined still picture image pickup condition is satisfied after the determination of the image pickup visual field.

13. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said request responding image pickup control section decides that the still picture image pickup condition is satisfied upon determination that a particular sound input is received.

14. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said request responding image pickup control section decides that the still picture image pickup condition is satisfied upon determination that a particular image pickup object state is decided from a picked up image.

15. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said request responding image pickup control section controls, after said request responding image pickup control section causes the image pickup apparatus to execute a still picture image pickup operation, a still picture picked up image to be displayed on a display section of the image pickup apparatus and causes the image pickup visual field variation section of the image pickup apparatus to be controlled so as to direct the display section toward an image pickup direction.

16. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said request responding image pickup control section returns to operation of the automatic image pickup mode after execution of the still picture image pickup operation in the request responding image pickup mode.

17. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image pickup prediction operation control section carries out control of causing sound outputting or indication outputting to be executed as a prediction operation for predicting that still picture image pickup will be carried out.

18. The image pickup control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image pickup prediction operation control section carries out control of controlling the image pickup visual field variation section to cause the image pickup apparatus to execute a predetermined operation as a prediction operation regarding for predicting that still picture image pickup will be carried out.

19. An image pickup control method for an image pickup system, the method comprising the steps of:

causing, by a processor of the image pickup system, execution of a still picture image pickup operation while an image pickup visual field is changed in an automatic image pickup mode;

accepting, in the automatic image pickup mode, a predetermined trigger input as an input to change the automatic image pickup mode to a request responding image pickup mode;

determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with an image pickup request from a user in the request responding image pickup mode; and

causing, by the processor of the image pickup system, execution of a still picture image pickup operation after the determination of the image pickup visual field in the request responding image pickup mode, wherein

in the automatic image pickup mode, the image pickup system automatically performs the still picture image pickup operation regardless of the image pickup request from the user.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor to control an image pickup apparatus, causes the image pickup apparatus to execute a method comprising the steps of:

causing, by the processor, execution of a still picture image pickup operation while an image pickup visual field is changed in an automatic image pickup mode;

accepting, in the automatic image pickup mode, a predetermined trigger input as an input to change the automatic image pickup mode to a request responding image pickup mode;

determining an image pickup visual field in accordance with an image pickup request from a user in the request responding image pickup mode; and

causing, by the processor, execution of a still picture image pickup operation after the determination of the image pickup visual field in the request image pickup mode, wherein

in the automatic image pickup mode, the image pickup apparatus automatically performs the still picture image pickup operation regardless of the image pickup request from the user.