IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS THAT SENDS IMAGE TO EXTERNAL APPARATUS

• US 20160277676A1
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: NARA, Kazuya, HOSODA, Jun, KURIYAMA, Yuji, TOMIDOKORO, Yoshinori, KISO, Toshiya, YAMADA, Takuya, OTANI, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00251 with an apparatus for taking photographic images, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/911 for the suppression of noise H04N5/932 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

An image processing apparatus sends an image to an external apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes a communication control unit, and a processing unit. The communication control unit, when an image is photographed by an image capture unit, controls the first communication unit to automatically send the photographed image to an external apparatus, and the communication control unit, controls the first communication unit to manually send the photographed image which is stored and is selected by a user to an external apparatus. The processing unit, when sending an image to an external apparatus, processes an image sent based on whether sending the image is the automatic sending or the manual sending.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that sends an image to an external apparatus, comprising:

a processor that;

controls a communication section to automatically send a photographed image to an external apparatus when the image is photographed by an image capture section,

controls the communication section to manually send a photographed image which is stored and is selected by a user, to an external apparatus, and

processes, when sending an image to the external apparatus, an image sent based on whether sending of the image is the automatic sending or the manual sending.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets a predetermined threshold which differs between the automatic sending and the manual sending based on a priority level according to whether sending the image is the automatic sending or the manual sending, and in a case of the image sent having been judged as exceeding the predetermined threshold, controls to process an image sent to the image processing unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor sets a predetermined threshold of the manual sending as a higher value than a predetermined threshold of the automatic sending, with the manual sending being set as a higher priority level than the automatic sending.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor performs judgment as to whether exceeding the predetermined threshold according to a size of an image to be sent.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor further acquires a type of an image to be sent, and takes into consideration a type of an image acquired and processes an image sent.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor further acquires a data volume of an image to be sent, and takes into consideration a data volume of the image to be sent acquired and processes the image to be sent.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor further judges a load caused by sending an image to the external apparatus, and sets the predetermined threshold which is judged as a large load and, in a case of the load judged having been judged as exceeding the predetermined threshold, controls the communication section to limit sending an image to the external apparatus.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor performs processing to reduce an image size.

8. An image processing apparatus that sends an image photographed by an image capture section to an external apparatus, comprising:

a processor acquires a characteristic of an image to be sent to the external apparatus, when a communication section sending an image to the external apparatus, and processes an image to be sent based on a characteristic of an image acquired.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor sets a different predetermined threshold based on a characteristic of an image acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit and, in a case of an image to be sent having been judged as exceeding the predetermined threshold, processes the image sent.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor acquires one or both (i) a type of a subject included in an image to be sent and (ii) a condition under which an image to be sent was photographed, as a characteristic of an image, and sets the predetermined threshold to be higher in one or both cases among being (i) a case in which a subject included in an image to be sent is a specific subject and (ii) a case of a condition under which an image to be sent was photographed, as a characteristic acquired.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor further acquires a method of sending a photographed image by the image capture section to the external apparatus, and takes into consideration the sending method acquired by the method acquisition unit and sets the different predetermined threshold.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor, when an image is photographed by the image capture section, acquires whether sending by the communication section is (i) automatic sending that automatically sends a photographed image to the external apparatus or (ii) manual sending that manually sends the photographed image to the external apparatus by a user selecting a stored image, and sets the predetermined threshold to be higher in a case in which the sending method acquired is manual sending than a case in which the sending method acquired by the method acquisition unit is automatic sending.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor performs processing to reduce an image size.

14. An image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus that sends an image photographed by an image capture section to an external apparatus, the method comprising:

a first sending processing of controlling a communication section to automatically send a photographed image to an external apparatus when the image is photographed by the image capture section;

a second sending processing of controlling a communication section to manually send a photographed image which is stored and is selected by a user, to an external apparatus; and

an image processing of, when a communication section sending an image to the external apparatus, processing an image to be sent based on whether

sending of the image is automatic sending in the first sending processing or manual sending in the second sending processing.

15. An image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus that sends an image photographed by an image capture section to an external apparatus, the method comprising:

a characteristic acquisition processing of acquiring a characteristic of an image to be sent to the external apparatus; and

an image processing of, when a communication section sending an image to the external apparatus, processing an image sent based on a characteristic of an image acquired in the characteristic acquisition processing.