JP6161286B2 - Imaging apparatus, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of transmitting data in response to an operation instruction from an external device.

  A system for remotely operating a controlled device such as a camera using a control device such as a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) is known. Some such systems can operate both the control device and the controlled device. In this case, it becomes a problem whether to give the operation right to any of them. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a digital camera that shifts to a mode for automatically photographing with its own device when communication with the external device is interrupted for a certain period of time during remote operation from the external device.

JP 2012-63575 A

  However, there are many cases where the user wants to perform various operations immediately depending on the state of the camera, for example, when an image capturing operation is being performed on the camera side, and in such a case, the operation right is left in the control device. It is not preferable. On the other hand, although the possibility of operation on the camera side is low, it is complicated to move the operation right every time the communication state changes.

An imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes at least a part of an imaging unit, an operation unit that receives a user operation, a connection unit that is connected to an external device, and control related to an imaging process performed by the imaging unit. A control unit having a first mode controlled by an operation and a second mode controlled by an operation on the external device, and the external device via the connection unit during execution of the imaging process When it is determined that the communication state of the communication state does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the first mode is set while the imaging process is continued.

  According to the present invention, even if the communication state between the imaging device and the external device deteriorates, it is possible to perform an appropriate operation according to the state of the imaging device.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the camera in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the terminal in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the system in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process in this embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the camera 1000. The camera 100 is an example of an image processing device.

  A CPU 1001, ROM 1002, RAM 1003, input processing unit 1004, output processing unit 1006, communication control unit 1008, recording medium control unit 1011, camera signal processing unit 1015, and encoding / decoding processing unit 1016 are connected to the internal bus 1010. CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory.

  Each unit connected to the internal bus 1010 can exchange data with each other via the internal bus 1010.

  The ROM 1002 stores various programs for the CPU 1001 to operate. The ROM 1002 includes a flash memory and the like. The RAM 1003 appropriately stores programs and variables necessary for the operation of the CPU 1001, temporary work data, and the like.

  The CPU 1001 controls each part of the camera 1000 using the RAM 1003 as a work memory according to a program stored in the ROM 1002 or the recording medium 1012.

  The optical system 1013 is a photographic lens including a focus, a diaphragm mechanism, and the like, and forms an optical image of a subject. The imaging element 1014 is configured by a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like, and here includes an A / D converter, which converts an optical image into an analog electric signal and then converts it into a digital signal.

  Based on the control of the CPU 1001, the camera signal processing unit 1015 performs resize processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation / reduction, color conversion, various correction processing, and the like on the digital signal converted by the image sensor 1014.

  Based on the control of the CPU 1001, the encoding / decoding processing unit 1016 compresses and encodes the digital signal processed by the camera signal processing unit 1015 at a predetermined bit rate and format, or decodes video compression encoded data.

  Note that although not specifically illustrated for audio, the audio signal can be handled by substantially the same processing by using the optical system 1013 and the image sensor 1014 as a microphone and the display unit 1007 as a speaker. At the time of video recording, audio and video are simultaneously recorded, and the video / audio can be generated by multiplexing the video and audio by the encoding / decoding processing unit 1016.

  The input processing unit 1004 receives a user operation at the operation unit 1005, generates a control signal corresponding to the operation, and supplies the control signal to the CPU 1001. For example, the operation unit 1005 includes a character information input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse and a touch panel, and the like as input devices that accept user operations. Further, the operation unit 1005 includes a remote-controllable unit such as an infrared remote controller. The touch panel is an input device that outputs coordinate information according to a position touched with respect to, for example, a planar input unit. Thereby, it is possible to cause the camera 1000 to perform an operation according to the user operation.

  The output processing unit 1006 outputs a display signal to be displayed on the display unit 1007 based on display data such as GUI (Graphical User Interface) generated by the CPU 1001 according to the program.

  Note that when a touch panel is used as the operation unit 1005, the operation unit 1005 and the display unit 1007 can be configured integrally. For example, the touch panel is configured so that light transmittance does not hinder display on the display portion 1007 and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display portion 1007. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel are associated with the display coordinates on the display unit 1007. As a result, it is possible to configure a GUI as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the display unit 1007.

  The recording medium control unit 1011 is connected to a recording medium 1012 such as an HDD or a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and reads data from the connected recording medium 1012 and writes data to the recording medium 1012 based on the control of the CPU 1001. Do. The recording medium 1012 to which the recording medium control unit 1011 can be connected may be connected to a detachable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a memory card via a socket (not shown) or the like.

  The recording medium 1012 can record information necessary for the control of the CPU 1001 in addition to the captured video data.

  The communication control unit 1008 communicates with the terminal 2000 via a connector (wired) or an antenna (wireless) 1009 based on the control of the CPU 1001.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the terminal 2000. The terminal 2000 is an example of an external device, and a mobile phone called a so-called smartphone is used in this embodiment. In addition, a so-called tablet terminal, personal computer, or other camera may be used.

  In the terminal 2000 of FIG. 2, since many components are the same as those of the camera 1000, the description from the CPU 2001 to the recording medium 2012, which overlaps with the description of the camera 1000, is omitted. Note that a live streaming remote control (hereinafter, LSR) application (application) program in terminal 2000 is stored in ROM 2002 as a part of the program and executed by CPU 2001. The LSR application is generally provided from the manufacturer of the camera 1000, for example, via the Internet. The user can use the LSR application by downloading the LSR application to the mobile terminal 2000 and installing it. Of course, the method for obtaining the LSR application is not limited to this, and the LSR application may be already installed when the mobile terminal 2000 is shipped, for example.

  Based on the control of the CPU 2001, the encoding / decoding processing unit 2013 decodes the video compression encoded data, and re-encodes the decoded data as necessary.

  Based on the control of the CPU 2001, the mobile phone control unit 2014 controls communication processing and call function processing as a mobile phone via an internal antenna.

[System configuration]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an LSR system. The LSR system is a system that can control the operation of a camera at a location remote from a terminal, for example, and transmits video data captured by the camera to the terminal in real time. It is also possible to control the operation of the camera in accordance with an operation instruction from the terminal. In the following description, the LSR application may be described as if it is the main subject of processing, but it goes without saying that the CPU 2001 that actually reads the LSR application program executes the processing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the LSR system includes a camera 1000 and a terminal 2000, and the camera 1000 and the terminal 2000 are connected via a wireless LAN.

  Next, the schematic operation of the LSR system will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

  The user operates the camera 1000 to set the camera 1000 to the live streaming mode. This live streaming mode is an example of a controlled mode. Further, the user operates terminal 2000 to activate the LSR application. In this state, the user operates the camera 1000 and the terminal 2000 to connect the camera 1000 and the terminal 2000 wirelessly.

  When the connection between the camera 1000 and the terminal 2000 is established, the camera can be operated from the LSR application of the terminal 2000. On the other hand, the functions that can be operated on the main body of the camera 1000 are limited so as not to collide with the operation from the LSR application. That is, a part of the operation right is transferred from the camera side to the LSR application side.

  The CPU 1001 starts imaging / sound collection in response to an instruction from the mobile terminal 2000 and supplies the image / sound data captured / sound collected to the communication control unit 1008. The communication control unit 1008 converts the received video / audio data into a format that can be wirelessly transmitted in accordance with the wireless LAN standard, and transmits the converted data to the terminal 2000 via the antenna 1009. Note that the video / audio data supplied to the communication control unit 1008 may be either data output from the camera signal processing unit 1015 or data encoded via the encoding / decoding processing unit 1016.

  The antenna 2009 of the terminal 2000 supplies the received data to the communication control unit 2008. The communication control unit 2008 converts the data in the wireless LAN transmission format into the original data format and transmits it to the CPU 2001. When the received data is encoded data, the CPU 2001 transmits the received data to the encoding / decoding processing unit 2013 to perform decoding, thereby restoring the video / audio data. When the data is not encoded, the CPU 2001 treats the received data as video / audio data as it is. The CPU 2001 supplies the video data to the output processing unit 2006, and the output processing unit 2006 displays the received video data on the display unit 2007. Further, the CPU 2001 outputs audio data as audio via a speaker (not shown).

  Through the above-described series of processing, the user can capture video / audio that is captured and collected by the camera 1000 via the display unit 2007 and the speaker (not shown) of the terminal 2000 as long as wireless radio waves are within reach. Information can be confirmed at a remote location.

  In addition to the wireless LAN, other wireless connections such as infrared communication and Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used as the wireless communication. Further, in an environment where communication delay is large, the present technology can also be applied to wired connection. As an example of the wired connection, for example, there is a form in which the camera 1000 and the terminal 2000 are connected via a wired LAN.

  FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart showing the operation of the camera 1000 in the present embodiment. Each process of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 1001 of the camera 1000 controlling each unit according to various programs and input signals.

  First, S401 is a communication state determination start process. The CPU 1001 executes this process at regular intervals.

  In step S <b> 402, the CPU 1001 checks whether a wireless LAN connection with the terminal 2000 has been established. If it is determined that the connection is established, the process proceeds to S403, and if it is determined that the connection is not established, the process proceeds to S404. Here, the determination that the connection has not been established may be not only a state in which communication with the terminal 2000 is not possible, but also a case where a certain level of communication quality cannot be expected. For example, it may be determined that the radio wave intensity is lower than a threshold value or that the radio wave intensity is unstable, or that it is determined that the camera cannot be operated with good operability from the terminal 2000 due to a large delay. Note that the processing in this step is an example of a first determination.

  First, the case where it progresses to S403 is demonstrated. In S403, the CPU 1001 enables control from the LSR application. If the operation from the LSR application is accepted at the time of proceeding to this step, that state is maintained. If the operation from the LSR application is not accepted, the function that can be operated on the camera body is limited, and the operation is switched to the state where the operation from the remote control can be accepted. (Transfer operation right to remote control).

  Next, the case where it progresses to S403 is demonstrated. In step S404, the CPU 1001 checks the operating state of the camera 1000. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the camera is currently performing an imaging operation and recording the obtained video data. If it is determined that the video data is recorded, the process proceeds to S405. If it is determined that the video data is not recorded, the process proceeds to S406, and the communication state determination process ends. The process in this step is an example of a second determination.

  In step S405, the camera is switched so that no operation from the LSR application is accepted while the operation state of the camera is maintained, the operation restriction on the camera 1000 is terminated, and all operations can be performed on the camera 1000 main body (the operation right is assigned to the camera). Move). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S406, and the determination of the communication state ends.

  The reason described above is as follows. That is, if the operation right is held in the LSR application while the communication state with the terminal 2000 is deteriorated, the operation from the LSR application does not reach the camera 1000, and the camera 1000 may have no operation right. There is sex. In this state, no one can operate the camera 1000. In particular, during the imaging / recording operation of the camera 1000, there is a high possibility that a quick operation is required according to the subject, and it is not preferable that a state where the operation cannot be performed occurs even for a short period of time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the imaging / recording operation is being performed, the operation right is transferred to the camera 1000 so that the operation can be continued.

  In this embodiment, the determination as to whether or not the imaging / recording operation is in progress has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, when a continuous operation is being executed such as during reproduction or search, the operation right may be transferred to the camera 1000 in order to maintain continuity of operation. Further, as a criterion for determining whether or not an operation is likely to occur, a determination may be made based on whether or not the camera 1000 is in an idle state.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. A part of the above-described embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various recording media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (11)

Imaging means;
An operation means for accepting a user operation;
A connection means for connecting to an external device;
And a control unit having a first mode in which at least a part of the control related to the imaging process by the imaging unit is controlled by an operation on the operation unit and a second mode controlled by an operation on the external device. And
During execution of the imaging process, if it is determined that a communication state that is a state of communication with the external device via the connection unit does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the imaging process is continued, An imaging apparatus characterized by being in a first mode. In a state where the imaging processing is not executed, when said communication state is determined to not satisfy the predetermined condition, the image pickup according to claim 1, characterized in that there et a in the first mode apparatus.   3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode, when it is determined that the communication state satisfies a predetermined condition, the second mode is set. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition relates to a quality of communication with the external device via the connection unit . 5. The imaging according to claim 4, wherein the quality of the communication is determined based on whether or not an intensity of a radio wave used for communication with the external device via the connection unit is higher than a predetermined intensity. apparatus. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the quality of the communication is determined based on whether or not the intensity of radio waves used for communication with the external apparatus via the connection unit is stable. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the communication quality is determined based on a magnitude of a delay in communication with the external apparatus via the connection unit .   The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the determination as to whether the communication state satisfies a predetermined condition is executed periodically.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging process includes generation of video / audio data. An imaging apparatus control method comprising: an imaging means; an operation means for receiving a user operation; and a connection means for connecting to an external device,
Switching between a first mode in which at least a part of control related to imaging processing by the imaging unit is controlled by an operation on the operation unit and a second mode controlled by an operation on the external device;
During execution of the imaging process, if it is determined that a communication state that is a state of communication with the external device via the connection unit does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the imaging process is continued, Controlling to be in the first mode;
A method for controlling an imaging apparatus having   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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