Control device, control system, control method and program

• US 10,116,852 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kadota, Keiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, AMY R
• Application Number:
  US15/308,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20170054892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A remote camera control device and method therefor includes a communication circuit that transmits an operation request to an external camera device, and selectively transmits a sensor information to the external camera device.

Claims

1. A remote camera control device comprising:

a communication circuit configured to transmit an operation request to an external camera device, and to selectively transmit a sensor information to the external camera device; and

a control circuit configured to access a product information of the external camera device, and in a case that the external device does not include a local sensor, cause the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.

2. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured:

in a case that it is determined that the external camera device includes the local sensor, to not cause the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.

3. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured:

in a case that it is determined that the external camera device includes the local sensor, to determine whether detection by the local sensor is difficult; and

in a case that it is determined that detection by the local sensor is difficult, to cause the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.

4. The remote camera control device according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is configured:

in a case that it is determined that detection by the local sensor is not difficult, to not cause the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.

5. The remote camera control device according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is configured:

to determine whether an operation of the local sensor has timed out; and

in a case that it is determined that the operation of the local sensor has timed out, to determine that detection by the local sensor is difficult.

6. The remote camera control device according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is configured:

to determine whether a local sensor information includes an error code; and

in case that it is determined that the local sensor information includes the error code, to determine that detection by the local sensor is difficult.

7. The remote camera control device according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is configured:

to determine whether a local sensor information is within a range of a predetermined value; and

in case that it is determined that the local sensor information is not within the range of the predetermined value, to determine that detection by the local sensor is difficult.

8. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured:

to determine a processing state of the remote camera control device or the external camera device; and

in a case that it is determined that the remote camera control device or the external camera device is performing a processing having a higher priority than communication of the sensor information, to cause the communication circuit to postpone transmission of the sensor information to the external camera device.

9. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured:

to repeatedly determine whether the external camera device includes the local sensor at a detection frequency; and

to repeatedly cause the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device at a transmission frequency,

wherein the transmission frequency is lower than the detection frequency.

10. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the product information originates from the external camera device.

11. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation request is an imaging request.

12. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation request is a request to change a setting of the external camera device.

13. The remote camera control device according to claim 12, wherein the setting of the external camera device is a capture mode setting, a framerate setting, or a recording format setting.

14. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to generate the sensor information, wherein the sensor includes a Global Positioning System sensor, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an external environment sensor, a biological sensor, an acquisition unit, or a combination thereof.

15. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is configured to transmit using a short-range wireless communication.

16. The remote camera control device according to claim 15, wherein the short-range wireless communication is a WiFi communication, a Bluetooth communication, a Zigbee communication, or a radio communication.

17. The remote camera control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is configured to communicate with a plurality of external camera devices in parallel.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a remote camera control device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, via a communication circuit, an operation request to an external camera device;

selectively transmitting, via the communication circuit, a sensor information to the external camera device;

accessing, via a control circuit, a product information of the external camera device; and

in a case that the external device does not include a local sensor, causing the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.

19. A method of performing a remote camera control, comprising:

transmitting, via a communication circuit, an operation request to an external camera device;

selectively transmitting, via the communication circuit, a sensor information to the external camera device;

accessing, via a control circuit, a product information of the external camera device; and

in a case that the external device does not include a local sensor, causing the communication circuit to transmit the sensor information to the external camera device.