Capturing device, capturing system and capturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643539-B2
Application number	US-201414547185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2014
Priority date	Oct 14, 2010
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A capturing device includes an image sensor that generates an image signal by performing photoelectric conversion for light from a subject, a control unit that generates a setting value for setting a range where an image resulting from the image signal is cut, based on a first instruction input from a user, a setting value storage unit that stores the setting value generated by the control unit, an image conversion unit that reads the setting value from the setting value storage unit, and cuts a specific region specified by the setting value from the image and enlarges the cut region, when there is a second instruction input from the user, and an output unit that converts a signal of the image cut and enlarged by the image conversion unit into an image signal of a predetermined format and outputs the converted image signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A signal processing device comprising;
a control unit configured to generate a plurality of setting values for setting a plurality of specific regions in an overall image resulting from an image signal generated by an image sensor, based on a first instruction input from a user, each setting value being assigned a respective, individual management number for identifying a respective specific set region to be accessed;
a setting value storage unit configured to store the plurality of setting values generated by the control unit;
an image conversion unit configured to enlarge the specific region set by one of the stored setting value, in response to a second instruction input from the user; and
an output unit configured to output an image signal of the specific region enlarged by the image conversion unit,
wherein the output unit outputs an image signal of the overall image in response to the second instruction input at the time that the output unit is to output the image signal of the specific region, and
wherein, after the output unit outputs the image signal of the overall image, the output unit outputs the image signal of the specific region and the individual management number for displaying the individual management number to a display unit.

2. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second instruction input comprises sequential user inputs, and
wherein the control unit counts the number of sequential user inputs to provide a count value and resets the count value when the output unit outputs the image signal of the specific region.

3. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit configured to control a display unit, on which an image resulting from the output image signal is displayed, to display a frame having a size and a position that varies depending on a user input,
wherein the control unit generates the setting value based on the size and the position of the frame.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit enables the display control unit to read an image for overall comprehension as the overall image, and
wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to display the frame on the image for overall comprehension.

5. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a default data storage unit configured to store default data for a default image signal,
wherein the default data storage unit has two or more regions for storing the default data, and
wherein the default image signal corresponds to the overall image.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates zoom magnification and an X axis coordinate and a Y axis coordinate of the specific region, as the setting value.

7. The signal processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit generates a surrounding frame surrounding a periphery of the specific region or a warning message for warning that an image displayed as the specific region is an enlarged image supplied to the output unit.

8. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit configured to control a display unit on which an image resulting from the image signal is displayed,
and to control the display unit to display an image as the specific region on a sub-screen of picture-in-picture.

9. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit configured to control a display unit on which an image resulting from the image signal is displayed,
and to control the display unit to display an image as the specific region on a full screen of picture-in-picture and to display an image for providing overall comprehension on a sub-screen.

10. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a view mode display timer triggered when the image conversion unit enlarges the specific region, and wherein the control unit enables the image conversion unit to read a value for specifying the overall image at a point of time when the view mode display timer times out.

11. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising;
the image sensor that generates the image signal by performing photoelectric conversion of light from a subject.

12. The signal processing device according to claim 11 , wherein the signal processing device is configured for use in a car body or a ship body, and
wherein the image sensor generates the image signal by performing photoelectric conversion of light from subjects around the car body or the ship body.

13. A capturing system comprising: an image sensor that generates an image signal by performing photoelectric conversion of light from a subject;
a control unit configured to generate a plurality of setting values for setting a plurality of specific regions in an overall image resulting from the image signal generated by the image sensor, based on a first instruction input from a user, each setting value being assigned a respective, individual management number for identifying a respective specific set region to be accessed;
a setting value storage unit configured to store the plurality of setting values generated by the control unit;
an image conversion unit configured to enlarge the specific region set by one of the stored setting values in response to a second instruction input from the user;
an output unit configured to output an image signal of the specific region enlarged by the image conversion unit; a user input unit configured to be operated by the user; and
a display unit configured to display an image resulting from the image signal output by the output unit; wherein the output unit outputs an image signal of the overall image in response to the second instruction input at the time that the output unit is to output the image signal of the specific region, and
wherein, after the output unit outputs the image signal of the overall image, the output unit outputs the image signal of the specific region and the individual management number for displaying the individual management number to a display unit.

14. A capturing system according to claim 13 , wherein the user input unit includes a button, and
wherein the first instruction input and the second instruction input are performed by pressing the button.

15. A capturing system according to claim 13 , wherein the display unit includes a touch panel, and
a display section of the display unit and the user input unit are integrally formed as the touch panel.

16. A capturing system according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a display control unit configured to convert and synthesize (a) an image resulting from a signal of the image cropped and enlarged by the image conversion unit and (b) an overall image resulting from the image signal generated by the image sensor, to output the image to a picture-in-picture screen, and
wherein the output unit converts an image signal converted and synthesized by the display control unit into an image signal of a predetermined format and outputs the converted image signal in the predetermined format.

17. A signal processing method comprising the steps of:
generating a plurality of setting values for setting a plurality of specific regions specified in an overall image resulting from an image signal generated by an image sensor, based on a first instruction input from a user, each setting value being assigned a respective, individual management number for identifying a r

Assignees

• Sony Corp
• Sony Europe Ltd

Inventors

• Oba Eiji
• Maire Frederic

Classifications

• H04N23/65

  Control of camera operation in relation to power supply · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• H04N23/634

  Warning indications · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title