Image pickup device, method of controlling image pickup device, and computer program for automatically achieving composition specified by user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9554035-B2
Application number	US-201414763091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2014
Priority date	Feb 7, 2013
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

There is provided an image pickup device including: a composition detection unit configured to calculate a time at which an object that is specified by a user and is included in a captured image achieves a composition specified by the user; a time calculation unit configured to calculate a time after start instruction of image pickup operation is issued but before an image is captured; and an image pickup control unit configured to start image pickup processing of the image in response to the start instruction of the image pickup operation. The composition detection unit issues the start instruction of the image pickup operation to the image pickup control unit the time calculated by the time calculation unit before the time at which the composition specified by the user is achieved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image pickup device, comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
calculate a first time at which an object that is specified by a user and is included in a captured image achieves a composition specified by the user,
wherein the object is specified by selecting a feature point representing the object among a plurality of feature points representing a plurality of objects;
calculate a second time after start instruction of image pickup operation is issued but before an image is captured; and
start image pickup processing of the image in response to the start instruction of the image pickup operation,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to issue the start instruction of the image pickup operation at a third time based on the calculated first time and the calculated second time.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to calculate the second time in consideration of a processing time that dynamically changes in accordance with a control state of the image pickup device.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display the captured image,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to overlap information representing the second time on the displayed image obtained by the image pickup operation executed based on an instruction from the one or more processors.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display the captured image,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to overlap information representing a position of the object obtained in an event the image pickup operation is executed at the third time on the displayed image obtained by the image pickup operation executed based on the start instruction from the one or more processors.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to extract the object and use the object as the overlap information on the position of the object.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to issue the start instruction of the image pickup operation till the object is at a determined distance from the specified composition.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to change, in accordance with a specification method of the composition by the user, a timing to start calculation of the first time at which the composition specified by the user is achieved.

8. The image pickup device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the specification method of the composition by the user is changed depending on whether the object straightly moves or curvedly moves.

9. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculated second time indicates an amount of time that is elapsed after the start instruction of the image pickup operation is issued but before the image is captured, and the one or more processors are configured to issue the start instruction of the image pickup operation the amount of time before the first time at which the composition specified by the user is achieved.

10. A method of controlling an image pickup device, comprising:
calculating a first time at which an object that is specified by a user and is included in a captured image achieves a composition specified by the user,
wherein the object is specified by selecting a feature point representing the object among a plurality of feature points representing a plurality of objects;
calculating a second time after start instruction of image pickup operation is issued but before an image is captured; and
starting image pickup processing of the image in response to the start instruction of the image pickup operation,
wherein the start instruction of the image pickup operation is issued at a third time based on the calculated first time and the calculated second time.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon, a set of computer executable instructions, for causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
calculating a first time at which an object that is specified by a user and is included in a captured image achieves a composition specified by the user,
wherein the object is specified by selecting a feature point representing the object among a plurality of feature points representing a plurality of objects;
calculating a second time after start instruction of image pickup operation is issued but before an image is captured; and
starting image pickup processing of the image in response to the start instruction of the image pickup operation,
wherein the start instruction of the image pickup operation is issued at a third time based on the calculated first time and the calculated second time.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sugita Yusuke

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

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• G03B9/64 Primary

  Mechanism for delaying opening of shutter (separate from shutter G03B17/38) · CPC title

• H04N5/2353

  Electricity · mapped topic