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

• US 9,467,610 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• 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, Ozheki, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Minh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Linda B
• Application Number:
  US14/594,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20150124110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 396/325
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. A first image capturing device comprising:

circuitry configured to

capture a first image of an object in response to a capturing operation,

generate first meta-data related to the first image,

record the first image in association with the first meta-data on a first recording medium, and

transmit the first meta-data and a trigger signal to a second image capturing device which independently captures a second image of a scene, including the object, and records the second image on a second recording medium,

wherein the second image capturing device records the received first meta-data in association with the second image in response to receiving the trigger signal, and

wherein at least the trigger signal is automatically transmitted in response to the capturing operation.

2. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the second image capturing device generates second meta-data related to the second image and records the second meta-data in association with the second image in response to receiving the trigger signal.

3. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry transmits an apparatus identifying information of the first image capturing device to the second image capturing device,

wherein the second image capturing device records the received apparatus identifying information of the first image capturing device in association with the second image.

4. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the first meta-data is time information indicative of a time of an image capturing.

5. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the first meta-data is positional information indicative of a time of an image capturing position.

6. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the first meta-data is numbering information for images.

7. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the first meta-data is user information which has been input before the capturing operation.

8. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first image and the second image is captured in a zoomed-in state.

9. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry automatically transmits the trigger signal and the first meta-data to the second image capturing device in response to the capturing operation.

10. The first image device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry transmits the first image to the second image capturing device.

11. The first image capturing device according to claim 10, wherein the transmitted first image is recorded in association with the second image.

12. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry transmits a power control signal, for controlling a power status of the second image capturing device, to the second image capturing device.

13. The first image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry which is configured to capture the first image is a CMOS sensor array.

14. The first image capturing device according to claim 1,

wherein the first image capturing device is capable of capturing a moving image,

wherein the second image capturing device is capable of capturing a moving image.

15. The first image capturing device according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is configured to capture a moving image as the first image of the object with a timing specified by the capturing operation,

wherein the second image capturing device captures a still image as the second image on the basis of the transmitted trigger signal.

16. An image capturing method for a first image capturing device comprising the steps of:

capturing a first image of an object in response to a capturing operation,

generating first meta-data related to the first image,

recording the first image in association with the first meta-data on a first recording medium, and

transmit the first meta-data and a trigger signal to a second image capturing device which independently captures a second image of a scene including the object and records the second image on a second recording medium,

wherein the second image capturing device records the received first meta-data in association with the second image in response to receiving the trigger signal, and

wherein at least the trigger signal is automatically transmitted in response to the capturing operation.

17. A second image capturing device comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive first meta-data related to a first image to be captured by a first image capturing device and a trigger signal from the first image capturing device, wherein at least the trigger signal is automatically transmitted in response to a capturing operation which is executed on the first image capturing device to capture the first image of an object;

independently capture a second image of a scene, including the object, in response to receiving the trigger signal; and

record the received first meta-data, related to the first image, in association with the second image on a recording medium.

18. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the second image capturing device generates second meta-data related to the second image and records the second meta-data in association with the second image in response to receiving the trigger signal.

19. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry receives an apparatus identifying information of the first image capturing device from the first image capturing device, wherein the second image capturing device records the received apparatus identifying information of the first image capturing device in association with the second image.

20. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the first meta-data is generated by the first image capturing device.

21. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the first meta-data is time information indicative of a time of an image capturing.

22. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the first meta-data is positional information indicative of an image capturing position.

23. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the first meta-data is numbering information for images.

24. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the first meta-data is user information which has been input before the capturing operation.

25. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein one of the first image and the second image is captured in a zoomed-in state.

26. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry receives the trigger signal and the first meta-data transmitted automatically by the first image capturing device in response to the capture operation.

27. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive the first image from the first image capturing device.

28. The second image capturing device according to claim 27, wherein the transmitted first image is recorded in association with the second image.

29. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive a power control signal, for controlling a power status of the second image capturing device, from the first image capturing device.

30. The second image capturing device according to claim 17, wherein the circuitry which is configured to capture an image is a CMOS sensor array.

31. The second image capturing device according to claim 17,

wherein the first image capturing device is capable of capturing a moving image,

wherein the second image capturing device is capable of capturing a moving image.

32. The second image capturing device according to claim 17,

wherein the first image capturing device captures a moving image as the first image of the object with a timing specified by the capturing operation,

wherein the circuitry is configured to capture a still image as the second image of the scene including the object in response to receiving the trigger signal.

33. A method of capturing an image by a second image capturing device comprising the steps of:

receiving first meta-data related to a first image to be captured by a first image capturing device and a trigger signal from the first image capturing device, wherein at least the trigger signal is automatically transmitted in response to a capturing operation which is executed on the first image capturing device to capture the first image of an object;

controlling independent capture of a second image of a scene, including the object, in response to receiving the trigger signal; and

recording the received first meta-data, related to the first image, in association with the second image on a recording medium.