Image pickup apparatus and reproduction control apparatus

• US 9,013,583 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokuyama, Haruto
• Primary Examiner(s): FLOHRE, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US13/365,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/208.16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

Image pickup means is capable of picking up an image at a first frame rate and a second frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate. A highlight scene is detected by detection means. When detecting the highlight scene, image pickup operation is performed at a high speed mode and an image signal at high frame rate (240 fps) is produced for a period of predetermined time. When detecting no highlight scene, image pickup operation is performed at a normal mode and an image signal at normal frame rate (60 fps) is produced. It is possible to save time and labor for performing a switchover operation of a frame rate when imaging a highlight scene. It is also possible to save power consumption and a capacity of a storage medium.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an imager which is capable of picking up an image at a first frame rate and a second frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate;

a micro processing unit that detects a zooming operation and a highlight scene; and

an imager driving driver that switches over a frame rate of the imager in response to detection of the highlight scene by the micro processing unit,

wherein the micro processing unit is configured to not detect the highlight scene when a zooming operation is detected during recording of the image.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imager driving driver switches over the frame rate of the imager from the first frame rate to the second frame rate in response to the detection of the highlight scene by the micro processing unit.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the imager driving driver switches the frame rate of the imager from the second frame rate to the first frame rate after a period of predetermined time is elapsed since the frame rate of the imager is switched from the first frame rate to the second frame rate.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the micro processing unit detects the highlight scene when a movement of a subject exceeds a predetermined value.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a lens driving driver and/or angular velocity sensor for detecting an angular velocity when the image pickup apparatus moves,

wherein the micro processing unit calculates the movement of the subject by performing an inter-frame difference calculation when the lens driving driver is not in a zooming operation and/or the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity sensor does not exceed a predetermined value.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frame rate is a frame rate of standard television system.

7. An image pickup method comprising:

using an imager to pick up an image at a frame rate;

detecting a zooming operation and a highlight scene;

outputting a highlight scene detection result; and

changing the frame rate of the imager in response to a highlight scene detection result indicating detection of a highlight scene,

wherein the highlight scene is not detected when a zooming operation is detected during recording of the image.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer-readable program for implementing an image pickup method, the image pickup method comprising:

using an imager to pick up an image at a frame rate;

detecting a zooming operation and a highlight scene;

outputting a highlight scene detection result; and

changing the frame rate of the imager in response to a highlight scene detection result indicating detection of a highlight scene,

wherein the highlight scene is not detected when a zooming operation is detected during recording of the image.