IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, EXTERNAL APPARATUS, IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, COMPUTER PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20160248958A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yokomizo, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/091 Digital circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus to communicate with an external apparatus includes an image capturing unit, a receiving unit, a control unit, a determining unit, and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit receives, from the external apparatus, a synthesizing command for controlling an operation of synthesizing images that have been captured by the image capturing unit under different exposure conditions, and an exposure setting command for controlling an operation of obtaining an image that has been generated under a set exposure condition. The control unit controls an operation that is performed based on the synthesizing and exposure setting commands, where the receiving unit receives the synthesizing and exposure setting commands. The transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus, operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command received by the receiving unit, in accordance with a determination result obtained from the determining unit.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the external apparatus via the network, a synthesizing command for controlling an operation of synthesizing a plurality of images that have been captured by the image capturing unit under different exposure conditions, and an exposure setting command for controlling an operation of obtaining an image that has been generated under a set exposure condition;

a control unit configured to control an operation that is performed based on the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in a case where the receiving unit receives the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command;

a determining unit configured to determine the operation controlled by the control unit; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command received by the receiving unit, in accordance with a determination result obtained from the determining unit.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a synthesizing unit configured to generate synthesized image data by being controlled by the synthesizing command; and

an exposure setting unit configured to set an exposure condition for the image capturing unit to obtain a piece of image data by being controlled by the exposure setting command.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit includes a controller that selectively operates the synthesizing unit or the exposure setting unit in accordance with the synthesizing command or the exposure setting command received by the receiving unit.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining unit determines which of the synthesizing unit and the exposure setting unit is being operated by the control unit.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the synthesizing unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that operating of the synthesizing unit or stopping of operation of the synthesizing unit is specifiable by the synthesizing command, and,

wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the exposure setting unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that operating of the exposure setting unit or stopping of operation of the exposure setting unit is specifiable by the exposure setting command.

6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the synthesizing unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that stopping of operation of the exposure setting unit is specifiable by the exposure setting command.

7. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the synthesizing unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that automatic control by the image capturing apparatus of whether or not the exposure setting unit is to be operated is specifiable by the exposure setting command.

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the exposure setting unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that stopping of operation of the synthesizing unit is specifiable by the synthesizing command.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that the exposure setting unit is being operated, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that automatic control by the image capturing apparatus of whether or not the synthesizing unit is to be operated is specifiable by the synthesizing command.

10. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that automatic control by the image capturing apparatus of whether or not the exposure setting unit is to be operated is specified by the exposure setting command, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that operating of the synthesizing unit or stopping of operation of the synthesizing unit is specifiable by the synthesizing command.

11. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the determining unit determines that automatic control by the image capturing apparatus of whether or not the synthesizing unit is to be operated is specified by the synthesizing command, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating that operating of the exposure setting unit or stopping of operation of the exposure setting unit is specifiable by the exposure setting command.

12. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the receiving unit receives a command of requesting the operation information from the external apparatus, the transmitting unit transmits, to the external apparatus via the network, the operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command received by the receiving unit, in accordance with the determination result obtained from the determining unit.

13. An external apparatus capable of communicating with, via a network, an image capturing apparatus, wherein the image capturing apparatus includes an image capturing unit a receiving unit configured to receive a synthesizing command for controlling an operation of synthesizing a plurality of images that have been captured by the image capturing unit under different exposure conditions, an exposure setting command for controlling an operation of obtaining an image that has been generated under a set exposure condition;

a control unit configured to control an operation that is performed based on the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in a case where the receiving unit receives the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command; and

a determining unit configured to determine the operation controlled by the control unit, the external apparatus comprising;

a reception unit configured to receive, from the image capturing apparatus via the network, operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in accordance with a determination result obtained from the determining unit; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the image capturing apparatus via the network, the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command.

14. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing apparatus; and

an external apparatus that communicates with the image capturing apparatus via a network,

wherein the image capturing apparatus includes;

an image capturing unit,

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the external apparatus via the network, a synthesizing command for controlling an operation of synthesizing a plurality of images that have been captured by the image capturing unit under different exposure conditions, and an exposure setting command for controlling an operation of obtaining an image that has been generated under a set exposure condition,

a control unit configured to control an operation that is performed based on the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in a case where the receiving unit receives the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, and

a determining unit configured to determine the operation controlled by the control unit,

wherein the external apparatus includes;

a reception unit configured to receive, from the image capturing apparatus via the network, operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in accordance with a determination result obtained from the determining unit, and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the image capturing apparatus via the network, the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command.

15. A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network and that includes an image capturing unit, the method comprising:

receiving, from the external apparatus via the network, a synthesizing command for controlling an operation of synthesizing a plurality of images that have been captured by the image capturing unit under different exposure conditions, and an exposure setting command for controlling an operation of obtaining an image that has been generated under a set exposure condition;

controlling an operation that is performed based on the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command, in a case where the synthesizing command and the exposure setting command are received;

determining the operation controlled by the controlling; and

transmitting, to the external apparatus via the network, operation information indicating operations which are specifiable by the received synthesizing command and the received exposure setting command, in accordance with a determination result obtained from the determining.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program causing an image capturing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 15.

16. (canceled)