Camera and illumination system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10270964-B2
Application number	US-201514849848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A camera includes a data acquisition unit, a photographing area control unit, a photographing unit and a communication unit. The data acquisition unit acquires, as photographing information, at least one of time information, information on a position of the sun, information on an angle between a sunlight and a ground, and projection information of an external projection device. The photographing condition calculation unit calculates a photographing condition based on the photographing information. The photographing area control unit controls a photographing area based on the photographing condition. The photographing unit generates an image data by photographing the photographing area. The communication unit transmits the image data to the external projection device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera comprising:
a data acquisition unit configured to acquire, as photographing information, at least one of time information, information on a position of the sun, information on an angle between a sunlight and a ground, and projection information of an external projection device;
a photographing condition calculation unit configured to calculate a photographing condition based on the photographing information;
a photographing area control unit configured to control a photographing area based on the photographing condition;
a photographing unit configured to generate an image data by photographing the photographing area; and
a communication unit configured to transmit the image data to the external projection device,
wherein the photographing unit photographs a shadow of an object projected onto a photographing surface in the photographing area without photographing the object,
wherein the shadow is a subject of the photographing unit,
wherein the data acquisition unit is configured to acquire size information on a size of a projection surface onto which light is projected by the external projection device, and
wherein the photographing condition calculation unit is configured to calculate the photographing condition corresponding to the size information and the photographing area control unit is configured to control settings for the photographing in the photographing unit based on the photographing condition corresponding to the size information.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the photographing unit is configured to generate an additional image data by photographing an additional photographing area, and
wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the additional image data to an additional external projection device.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the data acquisition unit acquires, as the photographing information, the projection information of the external projection device.

4. The camera of claim 3 , wherein the projection information includes information on an illuminance near a projection surface onto which the light is projected by the external projection device.

5. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the data acquisition unit acquires, as the photographing information, at least one of the time information, the information on the position of the sun, and the information on the angle between the sunlight and the ground.

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the communication unit transmits photographing information obtained when the photographing unit generates the image data to the external projection device.

7. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the communication unit transmits the image data to the external projection device via a control device.

8. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the photographing surface is a plate-shaped member standing in a direction perpendicular to the ground and is placed to surround a part of a periphery of the object, and
wherein the photographing condition includes temporal changes of the shadow.

9. An illumination system comprising:
a camera,
wherein the illumination system is configured to perform illumination presentation by using an image data transmitted from the camera,
wherein the camera includes:
a data acquisition unit configured to acquire, as photographing information, at least one of time information, information on a position of the sun, information on an angle between a sunlight and a ground, and projection information of an external projection device;
a photographing condition calculation unit configured to calculate a photographing condition based on the photographing information;
a photographing area control unit configured to control a photographing area based on the photographing condition;
a photographing unit configured to generate the image data by photographing the photographing area; and
a communication unit configured to transmit the image data to the external projection device,
wherein the photographing unit photographs a shadow of an object projected onto a photographing surface in the photographing area without photographing the object, and
wherein the shadow is a subject of the photographing unit,
wherein the data acquisition unit is configured to acquire size information on a size of a projection surface onto which light is projected by the external projection device, and
wherein the photographing condition calculation unit is configured to calculate the photographing condition corresponding to the size information and the photographing area control unit is configured to control settings for the photographing in the photographing unit based on the photographing condition corresponding to the size information.

10. The illumination system of claim 9 , wherein the photographing surface is a plate-shaped member standing in a direction perpendicular to the ground and is placed to surround a part of a periphery of the object, and
wherein the photographing condition includes temporal changes of the shadow.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamauchi Kentaro
• Hiramatsu Kohji

Classifications

• H04N23/64 Primary

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• A63J13/00 Primary

  Panoramas, dioramas, stereoramas, or the like · CPC title

• G03B2215/05

  Combinations of cameras with electronic flash units · CPC title

• G03B41/00

  Special techniques not covered by groups G03B31/00 - G03B39/00; Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• G03B2206/00

  Systems for exchange of information between different pieces of apparatus, e.g. for exchanging trimming information, for photo finishing · CPC title