Imaging system and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019273897-A1
Application number	US-201916414197-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 16, 2019
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one embodiment, an image capturing system is configured so that a device for capturing images is communicable with an external device through a communication unit. The image capturing system is provided with an operating unit configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing, an image capturing device serving as the device for capturing images and being configured to produce image data by periodically capturing images based on the settings made to the operating unit and a display unit configured to produce a display output based on the image data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image capturing system configured so that an image capturing device is communicable with an external device through a communication portion, the image capturing device comprising:
a body serving as an outer shell of the image capturing device; an image capturing portion configured to produce image data by capturing images by an image capturing element provided inside the body; and a communication portion provided inside the body and is configured to transmit image data captured by the image capturing portion to the external device, wherein the image capturing device is disposed inside a storage provided with a door at a location at which a condition of an interior of the storage can be easily identified and comprises a lighting unit provided in the storage as a dark room or at the image capturing device, wherein when capturing images, the image capturing device is configured to light the dark room by the lighting unit, wherein the external device is located outside the storage as a device independent of the image capturing device and comprises a display unit configured to produce a display output based on the image data, and wherein the image capturing device is configured to be capable of capturing images in a first image capturing mode in which images are captured repeatedly according to prescribed conditions.

2 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , comprising an operating portion provided on the body and is configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing by a user operation,
wherein the image capturing device is configured to take test shot for imaging the interior of the storage when a prescribed time period has elapsed after the settings have been made by the operating portion.

3 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing device is configured to transmit the image data to the external device through unidirectional communication.

4 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing device is battery driven and is configured to normally standby in a low power mode consuming relatively less electric power compared to a normal operation mode, the image capturing device being configured to return to the normal operation mode when capturing images.

5 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the external device comprises a server provided with a storing unit configured to store image data acquired through the communication portion.

6 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the external device comprises a communication terminal provided with a terminal side display unit configured to display images based on image data acquired through the communication portion.

7 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , comprising an operating portion provided on the body and is configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing by a user operation,
wherein the display unit is configured to distinguish and display an image originating from image data captured regularly with a prescribed periodicity and an image originating from image data produced by a test shot taken when a prescribed period has elapsed after the settings have been made by the operating portion.

8 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , comprising an operating portion provided on the body and is configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing by a user operation,
wherein, to distinguish image data captured regularly with a prescribed periodicity and image data produced by a test shot taken when a prescribed period has elapsed after the settings have been made by the operating portion, the image capturing device is configured to append identification data to at least one of the image data and transmit the image data to the external device.

9 . The image capturing system according to claim 1 , comprising an operating portion provided on the body and is configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing by a user operation,
wherein the image capturing device is configured to be capable of selecting either the first image capturing mode or a second image capturing mode in which an image is captured when a predetermined period has elapsed after the settings have been made by the operating portion.

10 . An image capturing device for use in an image capturing system provided with a display unit configured to produce a display output based on image data, the image capturing device comprising:
a body serving as an outer shell of the image capturing device; an image capturing portion configured to produce image data by capturing images by an image capturing element provided inside the body; and a communication portion provided inside the body and is configured to transmit image data captured by the image capturing portion to the external device, wherein the image capturing device is disposed inside a storage provided with a door at a location at which a condition of an interior of the storage can be easily identified and comprises a lighting unit provided in the storage as a dark room or at the image capturing device, wherein when capturing images, the image capturing device is configured to light the dark room by the lighting unit, wherein the external device is located outside the storage as a device independent of the image capturing device and comprises a display unit, and wherein the image capturing device is configured to be capable of capturing images in a first image capturing mode in which images are captured repeatedly according to prescribed conditions.

11 . A storage comprising an image capturing device configured to be communicable with an external device through a communication portion, the image capturing device comprising:
a body serving as an outer shell of the image capturing device; an image capturing portion configured to produce image data by capturing images by an image capturing element provided inside the body; and a communication portion provided inside the body and is configured to transmit image data captured by the image capturing portion to the external device, wherein the image capturing device is disposed inside a storage provided with a door at a location at which a condition of an interior of the storage can be easily identified and comprises a lighting unit provided in the storage as a dark room or at the image capturing device, wherein when capturing images, the image capturing device is configured to light the dark room by the lighting unit, wherein the external device is located outside the storage as a device independent of the image capturing device and comprises a display unit configured to produce a display output based on the image data, and wherein the image capturing device is configured to be capable of capturing images in a first image capturing mode in which images are captured repeatedly according to prescribed conditions.

Assignees

• Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Kota
• Izawa Hirokazu
• Furuta Kazuhiro
• Marutani Yuuki

Classifications

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/661

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title