IP Library Granted Patent US 11,422,560
Granted Patent B2
US 11,422,560 · App. 16/953,386 · Granted Aug 23, 2022

Flying camera and a system

Inventors: Kohtaro Sabe (Tokyo, JP); Yasunori Kawanami (Tokyo, JP); Kenta Kawamoto (Tokyo, JP); Tsutomu Sawada (Tokyo, JP); Satoru Shimizu (Tokyo, JP); Peter Duerr (Tokyo, JP); Yuki Yamamoto (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: Sony Corporation
G05D1/0094A63H27/12A63H30/04G05D1/0016G05D1/0038H04N5/23219H04N7/183
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,422,560
App. No.
16/953,386
Granted
Aug 23, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a control device including an image display unit configured to acquire, from a flying body, an image captured by an imaging device provided in the flying body and to display the image, and a flight instruction generation unit configured to generate a flight instruction for the flying body based on content of an operation performed with respect to the image captured by the imaging device and displayed by the image display unit.

Claims (47)

1. A method performed by a flying camera, the method comprising:

driving rotors attached to a body of the flying camera so as to fly the flying camera;

with circuitry of the flying camera, wirelessly transmitting to a control device an image captured with a camera of the flying camera so the control device displays the image on a touch panel display of the control device;

with the circuitry of the flying camera, setting, on the touch panel display, a designated target in response to a touch operation performed on the touch panel display, by setting a region of the image touched by the touch operation as the designated target; and

with the circuitry of the flying camera, automatically controlling a flight position of the flying camera so that the designated target is in a center of the image on the touch panel display.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

capturing, by the camera, the image while the flying camera is flying.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically controlling includes controlling flying of the flying camera by controlling the rotors.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

capturing, by the camera, the image when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically controlling includes automatically controlling the flight position of the flying camera based on image recognition of the designated target in images captured by the camera.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

performing, in the images captured by the camera, the image recognition of the designated target to identify the designated target in the images captured by the camera.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

controlling capturing by the camera another image that contains the designated target.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

transmitting the another image to the control device to be displayed on the touch panel display.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically controlling the touch panel display to include an object frame to designate the designated target according to the region in the image designated by the touch operation.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein

the object frame is displayed within the image displayed on the touch panel display.

11. A flying camera, comprising:

a body;

rotors with arms attached to the body, the rotors configured to be rotated respectively to fly the body;

a camera disposed on the body and flown by the rotors with the body; and

circuitry configured to

wirelessly transmit to a control device an image captured with the camera so the control device displays the image on a touch panel display,

set, on the touch panel display, a designated target in response respond to a touch operation performed on the touch panel display, by setting a region of the image touched by the touch operation as the designated target; and

automatically control a flight position of the flying camera so that the designated target is in a center of the image on the touch panel display.

12. The flying camera of claim 11 , wherein

the camera captures the image while the flying camera is flying.

13. The flying camera of claim 11 , wherein

the circuitry is configured to automatically control the flight position by controlling flying of the flying camera by controlling the rotors.

14. The flying camera of claim 11 , wherein

the camera captures the image when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

15. The flying camera of claim 11 , wherein

the circuitry is configured to automatically control the flight position based on image recognition of the designated target in images captured by the camera.

16. The flying camera of claim 15 , wherein

the circuitry is configured to perform, in the images captured by the camera, the image recognition of the designated target to identify the designated target in the images captured by the camera.

17. The flying camera of claim 11 , further comprising:

controlling capturing by the camera another image that contains the designated target.

18. The flying camera of claim 17 , wherein

the circuitry is configured to transmit the another image to the control device to be displayed on the touch panel display.

19. The flying camera of claim 11 , wherein

the circuitry is configured to automatically control the touch panel display to include an object frame to designate the designated target according to a region in the image designated by the touch operation.

20. The flying camera of claim 19 , wherein

the object frame is displayed within the image displayed on the touch panel display.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-088456 · Apr 19, 2013 · national
Continuity (5)
Continuation 16595978 · Oct 8, 2019
Continuation 16118173 · Aug 30, 2018
Continuation 15656870 · Jul 21, 2017
Continuation 14227182 · Mar 27, 2014
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