Imaging device, information processing method, and computer program

• US 9,706,113 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nunomaki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peterson, Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US13/965,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20130329078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 3482313-2316
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An imaging device including a data processor configured to execute processing for selecting picture portions corresponding to important scenes from captured picture data, on the basis of input information that is input during a period of taking a picture. The data processor generates highlight point information that allows identification of the picture portions corresponding to the important scenes, the picture portions being selected on the basis of the input information, and records the highlight point information on a recording medium as information associated with the captured picture data.

Claims

1. A video recording apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

cause an imager to capture a video;

obtain position information of the video recording apparatus;

detect (i) an amount of movement of the video recording apparatus greater than or equal to a threshold value for a distance based on the position information, and (ii) a time at which the movement occurred from a start of the capture of the video;

generate highlight data from the captured video based at least on the time at which the movement occurred or the amount of movement;

assign a first priority level to the highlight data generated based on the time at which the movement occurred and a second priority level to the highlight data generated based on the amount of movement; and

record the highlight data with the captured video along with the first priority level and the second priority level.

2. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive zoom operation information as input information, and generate highlight point information including information that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with execution of a zoom operation as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

3. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive detection information of an acceleration sensor as input information, determine, based on the detection information of the acceleration sensor, whether a pan or tilt operation has been executed, and generate highlight point information including information that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with execution of a pan or tilt operation as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

4. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive audio signal level information as input information, the audio signal level information being obtained while taking a picture, detect an occurrence of a peak in audio level based on the audio signal level information, and generate highlight point information including information as a highlight point that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with the occurrence of the peak in audio level as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

5. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive GPS information as input information, detect, based on the GPS information, an occurrence of a movement by a distance greater than or equal to a threshold distance, and generate, based on the detection, highlight point information including information that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with the occurrence of the movement by the distance greater than or equal to the threshold distance as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

6. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive clock information as input information, detect, based on the clock information, a time corresponding to a event time, and generate highlight point information including information that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with the time corresponding to the event time as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

7. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive still-picture taking information as input information, and generate highlight point information including information that allows identification of a first picture portion associated with taking of a still picture as a second picture portion corresponding to an important scene.

8. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate, as highlight information, information including information representing a time elapsed from beginning of period of taking a picture.

9. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to record priority levels of highlight point information on a recording medium as information associated with the captured video, the priority levels of the highlight point information being assigned based on types of input information used to generate the highlight point information.

10. The video recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors sequentially select highlight points based on play back of important scenes, in descending order of priority levels.

11. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to associate the highlight data concurrently with the capture of the video.

12. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information and a change of position of the video recording apparatus are represented by a latitude and a longitude.

13. The video recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the highlight data based on a detection of the change of position for a time period, and wherein the change of position corresponds to the amount of movement.

14. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to record the video and the highlight data on a recording medium.

15. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the highlight data from the captured video based on occurrence of a plurality of events during the capture of the video, and assign a different priority level to the highlight data generated based on each of the plurality of events.

16. A video recording method, comprising:

in a video recording apparatus;

capturing a video;

obtaining position information of the video recording apparatus;

detecting (i) an amount of movement of the video recording apparatus greater than or equal to a threshold value for a distance, based on the position information, and (ii) a time at which the movement occurred from a start of the capture of the video;

generating highlight data from the captured video based at least on the time at which the movement occurred or the amount of movement;

assigning a first priority level to the highlight data generated based on the time at which the movement occurred and a second priority level to the highlight data generated based on the amount of movement; and

recording the highlight data with the captured video along with the first priority level and the second priority level.

17. The video recording method according to claim 16, further comprising associating the highlight data concurrently with the capturing of the video.

18. The video recording method according to claim 16, wherein the position information and a change of position of the video recording apparatus are represented by a latitude and a longitude.

19. The video recording method according to claim 18, further comprising generating the highlight data based on a detection of the change of position for a time period, wherein the change of position corresponds to the amount of movement.

20. The video recording method according to claim 16, wherein the video and the highlight data are recorded on a recording medium.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions for causing a video recording apparatus to execute operations, the operations comprising:

capturing a video;

obtaining position information of the video recording apparatus;

detecting (i) an amount of movement of the video recording apparatus greater than or equal to a threshold value for a distance, based on the position information, and (ii) a time at which the movement occurred from a start of the capture of the video;

generating highlight data from the captured video based at least on the time at which the movement occurred or the amount of movement;

assigning a first priority level to the highlight data generated based on the time at which the movement occurred and a second priority level to the highlight data generated based on the amount of movement; and

recording the highlight data with the captured video along with the first priority level and the second priority level.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the computer-executable instructions further causes the video recording apparatus to execute operations comprising associating the highlight data concurrently with the capturing of the video.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the position information and a change of position of the video recording apparatus are represented by a latitude and a longitude.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the video and the highlight data are recorded on a recording medium.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions for causing a video recording apparatus to execute operations, the operations comprising:

detecting (i) an amount of movement of the video recording apparatus greater than or equal to a threshold value for a distance, based on position information, and (ii) a time at which the movement occurred from a start of capture of a video;

generating highlight data from the captured video based at least on the time at which the movement occurred or the amount of movement; and

assigning a first priority level to the highlight data generated based on the time at which the movement occurred and a second priority level to the highlight data generated based on the amount of movement,

wherein the highlight data is recorded with the captured video along with the first priority level and the second priority level.