# US 11,115,589 B2 · Imaging control apparatus and method for controlling imaging control apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,589 B2 - Document ID: US11115589B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/397,952 - Filed: 2019-04-29 - Published: 2019-11-14 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-09 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takuya Masamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115589B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/62: Control of parameters via user interfaces - H04N 23/80: Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof - H04N 23/633: {for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera} - H04N 23/635: {Region indicators; Field of view indicators} - H04N 23/64: {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} - H04N 23/67: Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals - H04N 23/698: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture - H04N 23/951: by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio - H04N 5/144: {Movement detection (for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20)} - H04N 21/42208: {Display device provided on the remote control} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A generation unit configured to generate a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a position of the image capturing start, and a recording control unit configured to perform control to, in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction before the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction, then according to an end condition for ending image capturing being satisfied, record the combined image obtained by the generation unit combining the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction are included. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and At least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, performs operations as: a generation unit configured to generate a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from a position of an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the position of the image capturing start after the image is captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction; and a control unit configured to perform control to, according to an amount of movement in the second direction from the position of the image capturing start having reached a second amount of movement that is an end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction, record the combined image obtained by the generation unit combining the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction and the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction in a recording medium, wherein the second amount of movement that is the end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction is smaller as the amount of movement in the first direction is larger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates the combined image by combining a plurality of images obtained by a series of image capturing operations started by the image capturing start. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit ends image capturing in the first direction according to an amount of movement in the first direction having reached a first amount of movement that is an end condition for ending image capturing in the first direction, or an instruction to end image capturing having been received. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a case where the amount of movement in the first direction reaches the first amount of movement is a case where an amount of acquisition of an image obtained by a series of image capturing operations started from the position of the image capturing start and performed by moving the image capturing direction in the first direction reaches a predetermined amount. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit configured to, based on an amount of movement in the first direction, display a movable amount corresponding to the second amount of movement in the second direction together with an image to be captured on a display unit. ### Claim 6 An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, performs operations as: a generation unit configured to generate a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a position of the image capturing start; and a display control unit configured to perform control to, based on an amount of movement in the first direction, perform display indicating a movable amount in the second direction by which an image used for an image to be combined can be captured, wherein the display control unit performs control to perform display such that a greater the amount of movement in the first direction, a smaller the amount of movement in the second direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the generation unit generates the combined image by combining a plurality of images obtained by a series of image capturing operations started by the image capturing start. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the amount of movement in the first direction is acquired based on a plurality of images obtained by a series of image capturing operations started by the image capturing start and performed by moving the image capturing direction in the first direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs control to, based on the movement in the first direction, update the display indicating the movable amount in the second direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, according to the movement in the first direction being turned back to the movement in the second direction, the display indicating the movable amount in the second direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, based on the amount of movement in the first direction, display indicating a movable amount in the first direction by which an image used for an image to be combined can be captured. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display control unit performs, on the same screen, the display indicating the movable amount in the second direction and the display indicating the movable amount in the first direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction, display indicating an amount of movement in the second direction from the position of the image capturing start or a position where the movement is turned back in the second direction to a current time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the display control unit performs, in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction, display indicating an amount of movement in the first direction from the position of the image capturing start to the current time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display control unit performs, in different forms, the display indicating the amount of movement in the first direction performed in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction, and the display indicating the amount of movement in the second direction performed in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display control unit performs, in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction, and an image capturing position at the current time overlaps an image capturing position in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction, display such that it can be recognized that the image capturing positions are positions overlapping each other. ### Claim 17 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, based on the amount of movement in the first direction, display indicating a range where the movement in the second direction is impossible and an image used for an image to be combined cannot be captured. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display control unit performs, according to the movement in the first direction being turned back to the movement in the second direction, the display indicating the range where the movement in the second direction is impossible. ### Claim 19 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, based on an amount of movement in the second direction, display indicating a range where the movement in the first direction is impossible and an image used for an image to be combined cannot be captured. ### Claim 20 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs, in a case where images having approximately equal lengths in the first and second directions with respect to the position of the image capturing start are combined, display indicating a position where the movement in the first direction is turned back to the movement in the second direction. ### Claim 21 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs display indicating an entirety of an amount of movement in a case where an image used for an image to be combined is captured. ### Claim 22 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit performs display indicating the position of the image capturing start. ### Claim 23 A method for controlling an apparatus, the method comprising: generating a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from a position of an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the position of the image capturing start after the image is captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction; and performing, according to an amount of movement in the second direction from the position of the image capturing start having reached a second amount of movement that is an end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction, record of the combined image obtained by combining the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction and the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction in a recording medium, wherein the second amount of movement that is the end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction is smaller as the amount of movement in the first direction is larger. ### Claim 24 A method for controlling an apparatus, the method comprising: generating a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a position of the image capturing start; and performing, based on an amount of movement in the first direction, display indicating a movable amount in the second direction by which an image used for an image to be combined can be captured, wherein the display control unit performs control to perform display such that a greater the amount of movement in the first direction, a smaller the amount of movement in the second direction. ### Claim 25 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program for causing a computer to function as: a generation unit configured to generate a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from a position of an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the position of the image capturing start after the image is captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction; and a control unit configured to perform control to, according to an amount of movement in the second direction from the position of the image capturing start having reached a second amount of movement that is an end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction, record the combined image obtained by the generation unit combining the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the first direction and the image captured in the case where the image capturing direction is moved in the second direction in a recording medium, wherein the second amount of movement that is the end condition for ending image capturing in the second direction is smaller as the amount of movement in the first direction is larger. ### Claim 26 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program for causing a computer to function as: a generation unit configured to generate a combined image obtained by combining an image captured in a case where an image capturing direction is moved in a first direction from an image capturing start, and an image captured in a case where the image capturing direction is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a position of the image capturing start; and a display control unit configured to perform control to, based on an amount of movement in the first direction, perform display indicating a movable amount in the second direction by which an image used for an image to be combined can be captured, wherein the display control unit performs control to perform display such that a greater the amount of movement in the first direction, a smaller the amount of movement in the second direction.