Image capturing system, image capturing device, and image capturing method

• US 8,787,748 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kashiwa, Kotaro, Marukawa, Kazuyuki, Ohzeki, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Linda B
• Application Number:
  US13/734,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 396/325
• US Class Current: 396/325
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/662 by using master/slave camera arrangements for affecting the control of camera image capture, e.g. placing the camera in a desirable condition to capture a desired image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

To enable satisfactory simultaneous and widely varied pictures to be obtained, for example, by allowing a common user to obtain an overall picture while the common user performing desired image capturing, or the like. A first image capturing device image-captures a subject to record this image, and also transmits a trigger signal to a second image capturing device. The second image capturing device image-captures an image to record this image in accordance with the trigger signal. Thus, the first and second image capturing devices enable both of an overall image and a zoomed image to be obtained with simultaneous timing.

Claims

1. An image-capturing method of an image-capturing device for recording still images or moving images as image-captured images of a subject, comprising the steps of:

an image-capturing step executing image-capturing or recording of an image-captured image of an object with a timing specified by a shutter operation or a shutter operation program; and

a trigger transmitting step (a) automatically transmitting to an external image-capturing device at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device and a trigger signal when the shutter operation or shutter operation program is executed and (b) instructing image-capturing or recording of an image-captured image of a scene including the object to the external image-capturing device with said timing.

2. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device is an apparatus identifying information of said image-capturing device.

3. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device is meta-data generated at said image-capturing device.

4. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image transmitting step transmitting the image-captured image recorded in said image-capturing or recording step.

5. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, wherein in said image-capturing or recording step, recording of meta-data generated at said image-capturing device is performed so as to associate the meta-data with the image-captured image;

and

wherein said method further comprises an image transmitting step transmitting the image-captured image-recorded in said image-capturing or recording step.

6. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a standby instruction transmitting step transmitting a standby instruction which instructs preparation for recording of an image-captured image as to the external image-capturing device prior to said timing for executing said image-capturing or recording step and said trigger transmitting step.

7. The image-capturing method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device includes apparatus identifying information of the image-capturing device and meta-data generated at the image-capturing device.

8. An image-capturing device recording still images or moving images as image-captured images of a subject, comprising:

an image-capturing circuitry executing image-capturing or recording of an image-captured image of an object with a timing specified by a shutter operation or a shutter operation program; and

a trigger device automatically transmitting to an external image-capturing device at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device and a trigger signal when the shutter operation or shutter operation program is executed and (b) instructing image-capturing or recording of an image-captured image of a scene including the object to the external image-capturing device with said timing.

9. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device is an apparatus identifying information of said image-capturing device.

10. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device is meta-data generated at said image-capturing device.

11. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, further comprising:

an image transmitter transmitting the image-captured image recorded by said image-capturing circuitry.

12. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, wherein in said image-capturing circuitry, recording of meta-data generated at said image-capturing device is performed so as to associate the meta-data with the image-captured image;

and

wherein said device further comprises an image transmitter transmitting the image-captured image recorded by said image-capturing circuitry.

13. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a standby instruction transmitter transmitting a standby instruction which instructs preparation for recording of an image- captured image as to the external image-capturing device prior to said timing for executing said image-capturing and transmitting said trigger signal.

14. The image-capturing device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one additional information related to the image-capturing device includes apparatus identifying information of the image-capturing device and meta-data generated at the image-capturing device.