Image capturing apparatus, external device, image capturing system, method for controlling image capturing apparatus, method for controlling external device, method for controlling image capturing system, and program

• US 9,723,195 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ashitani, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Prabhakher, Pritham
• Application Number:
  US15/034,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 3482071, 34821113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• 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 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus that communicates with an external device includes a field-of-view changing unit configured to change a field of view for capturing an image of a subject, a receiving unit, a control unit, and an amount-of-change determination unit. The receiving unit receives, from the external device, a command for controlling the field-of-view changing unit. The control unit controls, when the receiving unit receives a command to start to change a field of view, the field-of-view changing unit to start to change the field of view. The amount-of-change determination unit determines an amount of change in the field of view. The control unit controls the field-of-view changing unit such that the determined amount of change in the field of view becomes a predetermined amount or more, irrespective of whether the receiving unit receives a command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view changing unit.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus that communicates with an external device, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a field-of-view mechanical mechanism configured to change a field of view for capturing an image of a subject;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the external device, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism;

a control unit configured to control, when the receiving unit receives a command to start to change a field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, the field-of-view mechanical mechanism to start to change the field of view; and

an amount-of-change determination unit configured to determine an amount of change in the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

wherein the control unit controls the field-of-view mechanical mechanism such that the amount of change in the field of view determined by the amount-of-change determination unit becomes a predetermined amount or more, irrespective of whether the receiving unit receives a command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, and

wherein the receiving unit, the control unit, and the amount-of-change determination unit are each implemented by at least one of the at least one processor.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving a command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism before the amount of change in the field of view determined by the amount-of-change determination unit becomes the predetermined amount or more, the control unit performs control to continue using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism until the amount of change in the field of view becomes the predetermined amount or more.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the amount of change in the field of view determined by the amount-of-change determination unit is the predetermined amount or more, the control unit stops changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the field-of-view mechanical mechanism using a time designated by the command to start to change the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism and the command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage configured to store the predetermined amount,

wherein the receiving unit receives a designation command for designating an amount of change in the field of view to be performed by the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, and

when the designation command is received by the receiving unit, the control unit updates the predetermined amount that the storage stores to the amount designated by the designation command.

6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount-of-change determination unit determines the amount of change in the field of view based on the amount of change in the field of view from a position at which the change in the field of view is started to a position at which the change in the field of view is stopped.

7. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount-of-change determination unit determines the amount of change in the field of view based on an elapsed time from a time indicated by the command to start to change the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism to a time designated by the command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the field-of-view mechanical mechanism includes at least one of a pan unit that rotates the field of view for capturing an image of the subject in a pan direction, a tilt unit that rotates the field of view in a tilt direction, and a zoom unit that changes a range of the field of view for capturing an image of the subject.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command to start to change the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism includes a command to designate an operation of continuing changing the field of view in a fixed direction.

10. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the field-of-view mechanical mechanism includes at least one of a stepper motor and a pan-tilt controller.

11. An image capturing system comprising:

an external device that communicates with an image capturing apparatus; and

the image capturing apparatus, wherein the image capturing apparatus includes;

a first at least one processor,

a field-of-view mechanical mechanism configured to change a field of view for capturing an image of a subject,

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the external device, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

a control unit configured to control, when the receiving unit receives a command to start to change a field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, the field-of-view mechanical mechanism to start to change the field of view, and

an amount-of-change determination unit configured to determine an amount of change in the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

wherein the receiving unit, the control unit, the amount-of-change determination unit each are implemented by at least one of the first at least one processor, and

wherein the external device includes;

a second at least one processor,

a transmitting unit implemented by at least one of the second at least one processor and configured to transmit, to the image capturing apparatus, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

wherein the control unit controls the field-of-view mechanical mechanism such that the amount of change in the field of view determined by the amount-of-change determination unit becomes a predetermined amount or more, irrespective of whether the receiving unit receives a command to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.

12. The image capturing system according to claim 11, wherein the external device further includes:

an instruction unit implemented by at least one of the second at least one processor and configured to give an instruction to transmit the command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, and

a storage configured to store a time at which the instruction to transmit the command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism is given,

wherein the command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism transmitted with the transmitting unit includes the time stored in the storage.

13. The image capturing system according to claim 12, wherein the amount-of-change determination unit determines the amount of change based on the time included in the command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism received by the receiving unit.

14. A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus that communicates with an external device, wherein the image capturing apparatus includes a field-of-view mechanical mechanism configured to change a field of view for capturing an image of a subject, the method comprising

receiving, from the external device, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism;

controlling, when a command is received to start to change a field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, the field-of-view mechanical mechanism to start to change the field of view; and

determining an amount of change in the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

wherein, controlling includes controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism such that the determined amount of change in the field of view becomes a predetermined amount or more, irrespective of whether a command is received to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 14.

15. A method for controlling an image capturing system having an image capturing apparatus and an external device that communicates with the image capturing apparatus, wherein the image capturing apparatus includes a field-of-view mechanical mechanism configured to change a field of view for capturing an image of a subject, the method comprising:

receiving, in the image capturing apparatus from the external device, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism;

controlling, in the image capturing apparatus and when a command is received to start to change a field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism, the field-of-view mechanical mechanism to start to change the field of view;

determining, in the image capturing apparatus, an amount of change in the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism; and

transmitting, from the external device to the image capturing apparatus, a command for controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism,

wherein controlling includes controlling the field-of-view mechanical mechanism such that the controlling amount of change in the field of view becomes a predetermined amount or more, irrespective of whether a command is received to stop changing the field of view using the field-of-view mechanical mechanism.