Imaging apparatus and imaging method

• US 9,374,523 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Chisato, Date, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Velez, Roberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, TUAN H
• Application Number:
  US14/055,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0025 Adapting an image communication to a non-image communication or vice versa, e.g. data rate-conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0027 Adapting to communicate with plural different types of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

An imaging apparatus and an imaging method supply an optimum amount of image data to another apparatus. When a PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 1.5 Mbps, a mobile phone determines that the maximum speed of communication with the PDA is low, reduces the amount of moving image data captured by a CCD of the mobile phone accordingly, and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA therefore displays a low-quality moving image on its display unit. When the PDA has a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbps, the CPU of the mobile phone leaves unchanged the amount of moving picture data captured by the CCD and supplies the captured moving image data to the PDA. The PDA then displays a high-quality moving image on its display unit. The foregoing may be advantageously applied to digital cameras.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an object; and

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external device,

wherein the imaging unit captures a moving image and a still image with different image quality,

wherein the communication unit is capable of receiving a predetermined signal from the external device while the imaging unit captures the moving image,

wherein the imaging unit is capable of capturing the still image after receiving the predetermined signal from the external device, and

wherein the imaging unit is capable of sending the captured still image with an image quality different from an image quality of the moving image to the external device.

2. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image quality of the still image is higher than the image quality of the moving image.

3. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined signal from the external device is a shooting instruction from the external device.

4. An imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the shooting instruction from the external device is a still image shooting instruction from the external device.

5. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to transfer the still image to the external device after receiving the predetermined signal from the external device.

6. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive a quality change instruction from the external device.

7. An imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the imaging unit captures the image with a predetermined quality according to the quality change instruction from the external device.

8. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit includes a plurality of transmitting units, and

wherein an amount of image data captured by said imaging unit is adjusted in accordance with a communication speed at which said image data are transmitted by a selected transmitting unit of the plurality of transmitting units.

9. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit transmits other data than image data captured by the imaging unit, and

wherein an amount of said image data captured by said imaging unit is reduced when the communication unit transmits said other data.

10. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit includes a plurality of transmitting units, and

wherein a compression rate of a compression process for compressing image data captured by the imaging unit is adjusted in accordance with a communication speed at which said image data are transmitted by a selected transmitting unit of the plurality of transmitting units.

11. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit transmits other data than image data captured by the imaging unit that is compressed, and

wherein a compression rate of a compression process for compressing the image data captured is raised when the communication unit transmits said other data.

12. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit includes a plurality of transmitting units, and

wherein an amount of image data captured by said imaging unit and a compression rate of a compression process for compressing said captured image data are adjusted in accordance with a communication speed at which said compressed image data are transmitted by a selected transmitting unit of the plurality of transmitting units.

13. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said communication unit transmits other data than image data captured by said imaging unit, and

wherein an amount of said image data captured is reduced while raising a compression rate of a compression process for compressing said captured image data when said communication unit transmits said other data.

14. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an object; and

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external device so that the imaging apparatus is capable of sending an image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the imaging unit is capable of capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality,

wherein the communication unit is capable of transmitting the captured moving image to the external device,

wherein the communication unit is capable of receiving a predetermined signal from the external device while the imaging unit captures the moving image,

wherein the imaging unit is capable of capturing the still image with an image quality different from an image quality of the moving image according to the received predetermined signal, and

wherein the communication unit is capable of sending the captured still image with the image quality different from the image quality of the moving image to the external device according to the received predetermined signal.

15. An imaging apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to set image quality;

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an object with a predetermined image quality set by the circuitry; and

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external device so that the imaging apparatus is capable of sending the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the imaging unit is capable of capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality,

wherein the communication unit is capable of receiving a quality set instruction from the external device, and

wherein the circuitry is capable of setting image quality based on the quality set instruction from the external device.

16. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an object, wherein the imaging unit captures a moving image and a still image with different image quality; and

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external device,

wherein the communication unit is capable of receiving a predetermined signal from the external device while the imaging unit captures the moving image, and

wherein the imaging unit is capable of capturing the still image with an image quality different from an image quality of the moving image and, after capturing the still image, is capable of restarting to capture the moving image.

17. An imaging method comprising:

capturing an image of an object, wherein the capturing includes capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality;

receiving a predetermined signal from an external device while the moving image is captured,

wherein the still image is captured after the receiving of the predetermined signal from the external device; and

sending the captured still image with an image quality different from an image quality of the moving image to the external device.

18. An imaging method comprising:

capturing an image of an object, wherein the capturing includes capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality;

communicating with an external device to send the image captured by the capturing;

transmitting the captured moving image to the external device;

receiving a predetermined signal from the external device while the moving image is captured,

wherein the still image is captured with an image quality different from an image quality of the moving image according to the received predetermined signal; and

sending the captured still image with the image quality different from the image quality of the moving image to the external device according to the received predetermined signal.

19. An imaging method comprising:

setting image quality;

capturing an image of an object with a predetermined image quality set by the setting, wherein the capturing includes capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality;

communicating with an external device to send the image captured by the capturing; and

receiving a quality set instruction from the external device,

wherein the setting of the image quality is based on the quality set instruction from the external device.

20. An imaging method comprising:

capturing an image of an object, wherein the capturing includes capturing a moving image and a still image with different image quality;

communicating with an external device,

wherein the communicating includes receiving a predetermined signal from the external device while capturing the moving image, and

wherein the still image is captured with a different image quality from an image quality of the moving image and, after capturing the still image, restarting to capture the moving image.