IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,339,500
Granted Patent B2
US 8,339,500 · App. 12/310,674 · Granted Dec 25, 2012

Video sharing system, photography support system, and camera

Assignee: Nikon Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,339,500
App. No.
12/310,674
Granted
Dec 25, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A video sharing system, accumulating various videos and enabling a plurality of users to utilize these accumulated videos, includes a plurality of cameras that photograph any one of a plurality of photographic subjects present within a facility, a video collection unit that collects photographed videos photographed by the plurality of cameras, a photographic subject identification unit that identifies the photographic subjects in the photographed videos, for each photographed video; and an accumulation unit that accumulates the photographed videos collected by the video collection unit, and photographic subject information specifying the photographic subjects identified by the photographic subject identification unit.

Claims (20)

1. A photography support system, comprising:

a plurality of transmission units, respectively held by a photographic subject and one or two or more photographers, each of which transmits intrinsic identification information;

a plurality of reception units, each of which is installed in a facility, receiving the intrinsic identification information transmitted from the plurality of transmission units;

a camera carried by the photographer for photographing the photographic subject;

a photographic subject position identification unit that identifies a position of the photographic subject in the facility, on the basis of the identification information transmitted from at least one of the plurality of transmission units held by the photographic subject and received by one of the plurality of reception units, and the installation position of the reception unit that has received the intrinsic identification information;

a camera position identification unit that identifies a position of the camera in the facility, on the basis of the intrinsic identification information transmitted from the transmission unit held by the photographer and received by the reception unit, and the installation position of the reception unit that has received the intrinsic identification information; and

a relative position calculation unit that obtains a direction to the photographic subject from the camera and a distance to the photographic subject from the camera, on the basis of the position of the photographic subject identified by the photographic subject position identification unit, and the position of the camera identified by the camera position identification unit, wherein

the camera displays matched auto focus areas which match to the position of the photographic subject and overlap an image of the photographic subject;

the camera calculates the distance to the photographic subject from the camera for the matched auto focus areas and performs focus adjustment upon the photographic subject;

the camera makes a decision whether the photographic subject is present in the matched auto focus areas by estimating a difference between the distance to the photographic subject from the camera that was calculated during the focus adjustment and the distance to the photographic subject from the camera that was obtained by the relative position calculation unit.

2. A photography support system according to claim 1 , wherein

the camera decides whether the photographic subject is within a range of photography,

if the photographic subject is not within the range of photography, the camera displays the direction to the photographic subject with respect to the range of photography.

3. A photography support system according to claim 2 , wherein

the direction to the photographic subject with respect to the range of photography is a sign in the viewfinder that indicates the direction to the photographic subject with respect to the range of photography.

4. A photography support system according to claim 1 , wherein,

when displaying the direction of the photographic subject, the camera changes over between vertical and horizontal display, according to the orientation in which the photographer is holding the camera.

5. A camera used in a photography support system according to claim 1 .

6. A photography support system according to claim 2 , wherein,

the camera performs focus adjustment on the basis of the distance to the photographic subject from the camera that was obtained by the relative position calculation unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2009
From: HATTORI, YUKO; HASEGAWA, JUNKO
To: NIKON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 022387/0762 →
Priority Claims (4)
JP 2006-238977 · Sep 4, 2006 · national
JP 2006-238978 · Sep 4, 2006 · national
JP 2006-238979 · Sep 4, 2006 · national
JP 2006-241579 · Sep 6, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100002084A1 · Jan 7, 2010