Flying camera and a system

• US 10,469,757 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sabe, Kohtaro, Kawanami, Yasunori, Kawamoto, Kenta, Sawada, Tsutomu, Shimizu, Satoru, Duerr, Peter, Yamamoto, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sosanya, Obafemi O
• Application Number:
  US16/118,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20190037141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

There is provided a control device including an image display unit configured to acquire, from a flying body, an image captured by an imaging device provided in the flying body and to display the image, and a flight instruction generation unit configured to generate a flight instruction for the flying body based on content of an operation performed with respect to the image captured by the imaging device and displayed by the image display unit.

Claims

1. A flying camera comprising:

a body component;

a camera;

at least four rotors configured to be rotated respectively for flying; and

circuitry configured to

wirelessly transmit an image being captured with the camera to a control device for displaying the image on a touch panel display, wherein a touch operation is performed on the touch panel display and indicative of a designated position and a designated size of a target for capturing an image of the target with an image composition, and

automatically control a flight position of the flying camera in response to flight instructions generated based on recognizing the target in the image with image recognition, so as to capture an image of the target with the image composition.

2. The flying camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to capture the image of the target while the flying camera is flying.

3. The flying camera according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the flight position so that the position of the target and the size of the target are maintained according to the image composition.

4. The flying camera according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control flying of the flying camera by controlling the at least four rotors.

5. The flying camera according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to capture the image of the target when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

6. The flying camera according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is associated with the image composition of the target.

7. The flying camera according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the flight position and an attitude of the flying camera based on a position and a size of the target in an image being captured, and the designated position and the designated size of the target in the image of the image composition.

8. The flying camera according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the flight position and the attitude of the flying camera based on a difference between the position and the size of the target in the image being captured, and the designated position and the designated size of the target in the image of the image composition.

9. A method performed by a flying camera that includes a body component, a camera, and rotors configured to be rotated respectively for flying, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by circuitry of the flying camera, an image being captured with a camera to a control device for displaying the image on a touch panel display, wherein a touch operation is performed on the touch panel display and indicative of a designated position and a designated size of a target for capturing an image of the target with an image composition; and

automatically controlling, by the circuitry, a flight position of the flying camera based on recognizing the target in the image with image recognition, so as to capture an image of the target with the image composition.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising capturing, by the camera, the image of the target while the flying camera is flying.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the controlling controls the flight position so that the position of the target and the size of the target are maintained according to the image composition.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the controlling controls flying of the flying camera by controlling the rotors.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising capturing, by the camera, the image of the target when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined condition is associated with the image composition of the target.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the controlling controls the flight position and an attitude of the flying camera based on a position and a size of the target in an image being captured, and the designated position and the designated size of the target in the image of the image composition.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the controlling controls the flight position and the attitude of the flying camera based on a difference between the position and the size of the target in the image being captured, and the designated position and the designated size of the target in the image of the image composition.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a flying camera that includes a body component, a camera, and rotors configured to be rotated respectively for flying, cause the flying camera to perform a method, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting an image being captured to a control device for displaying the image on a touch panel display, wherein a touch operation is performed on the touch panel display and indicative of a designated position and a designated size of a target for capturing an image of the target with an image composition; and

automatically controlling a flight position of the flying camera for capturing an image of a target, based on recognizing the target in the image with image recognition, so as to capture an image of the target with the image composition.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

capturing the image of the target when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the predetermined condition being associated with the image composition of the target, wherein

the controlling controls the flight position and an attitude of the flying camera based on a difference between a position and a size of the target in an image being captured, and the designated position and the designated size of the target in the image of the image composition.