Image shooting system

• US 20020180871A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ueyama, Masayuki, Himeda, Satoshi, Shibatani, Kazuhiro
• Application Number:
  US10/156,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20020180871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

When image data is transmitted from an image shooting apparatus to an operation apparatus, the shooting time at which image shooting is performed (index information) is transmitted together with the image data. Receiving the image data, the operation apparatus performs image display based on the image data. While visually confirming the image displayed on the operation apparatus, the user inputs an operation command such as image recording when a desired image is displayed. Consequently, the operation apparatus generates a command corresponding to the operation command. Then, the operation apparatus transmits the received shooting time together with the image data to be displayed and the command to the image shooting apparatus. Receiving the command, the image shooting apparatus identifies the image data which the command is issued for, and appropriately executes the command.

Claims

1. An image shooting apparatus comprising:

an image generator for shooting a subject and for generating image data;

an index information generator for generating index information for identifying a shooting condition of the image generator at the time of image shooting by the image generator;

a memory for storing a parameter representative of the shooting condition and the index information so as to be associated with each other; and

a transmitter for transmitting the image data and the index information to an operation apparatus capable of controlling the image shooting apparatus.

2. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving data from the operation apparatus; and

a controller for obtaining, when the index information is included in the data received by the receiver, the parameter stored in the memory based on the received index information, and for performing process based on the obtained parameter.

3. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprises a driver for driving the image generator to change a shooting direction or a shooting magnification of the image generator, and when a command associated with the driving of the image generator and the index information are included in the data received by the receiver, the controller obtains the parameter based on the index information, and drives the driver based on the obtained parameter.

4. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index information is the shooting time at which the image generator performs image shooting.

7. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprises a second memory different from the first memory and the controller stores the image data stored in the first memory into the second memory based on the received index information.

5. An image shooting apparatus comprising:

an image generator for shooting a subject and for generating image data;

an index information generator for generating index information for identifying the image data at the time of image shooting by the image generator;

a first memory for storing the image data and the index information so as to be associated with each other; and

a transmitter for transmitting the image data and the index information to an operation apparatus capable of controlling the image shooting apparatus.

6. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving data from the operation apparatus; and

a controller for obtaining, when the index information is included in the data received by the receiver, the image data stored in the first memory based on the received index information, and for performing process of the obtained image data.

8. An image shooting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the index information is the shooting time at which the image generator performs image shooting.

9. An operation apparatus capable of controlling an image shooting apparatus, comprising:

an input member for inputting an operation command to control the image shooting apparatus;

a receiver for receiving image data and index information associated with the image data from the image shooting apparatus;

a display for displaying the received image data; and

a transmitter for transmitting, when the operation command is input from the input member, the index information associated with the image data displayed on the display and a command corresponding to the operation command to the image shooting apparatus.

10. An operation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the operation command is a command to cause the image shooting apparatus to record the image data displayed on the display.

11. An operation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the operation command is a command to cause the image shooting apparatus to change a shooting direction or a shooting magnification.

12. An operation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the index information is the shooting time at which the image generator performs image shooting.

13. An image shooting apparatus comprising:

an image generator for shooting a subject and for generating image data;

a transmitter for transmitting the image data to an operation apparatus capable of controlling the image shooting apparatus;

a timer adjusted so as to indicate a time the same as a time at the operation apparatus;

a receiver for receiving data from the operation apparatus;

a comparator for comparing, when time information is included in the data received by the receiver, a time represented by the time information with the time indicated by the timer; and

a controller for controlling the image shooting apparatus so as not to execute a command included in the data received from the operation apparatus for a predetermined time when there is a difference not less than a predetermined threshold value between the times as a result of the comparison by the comparator.

14. An operation apparatus capable of controlling an image shooting apparatus, comprising:

a timer adjusted so as to indicate a time the same as a time at the image shooting apparatus;

an input member for inputting an operation command to control the image shooting apparatus;

a transmitter for transmitting, when the operation command is input from the input member, a command corresponding to the operation command and information on the time represented by the timer to the image shooting apparatus.