# US 2021/0174541 A1 · Image-capturing control apparatus, image-capturing control method, and storage medium

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- Number: US 2021/0174541 A1
- Document ID: US20210174541A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/108,323
- Filed: 2020-12-01
- Published: 2021-06-10
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-06
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Chika FUJIWARA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210174541A1

## CPC

- G06T 7/74: {involving reference images or patches}
- G06T 7/001: {using an image reference approach}
- G06T 7/60: Analysis of geometric attributes
- G06T 7/90: Determination of colour characteristics
- G11B 19/025: {'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]}
- H04N 23/60: Control of cameras or camera modules
- H04N 23/631: {Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters}
- 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}
- G06F 30/10: Geometric CAD
- G06T 2207/10024: Color image
- G06T 2207/30204: Marker
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

An image-capturing control apparatus that controls an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a reference object serving as an evaluation reference, to obtain color information to be used for appearance evaluation of a target object, the image-capturing control apparatus comprising: a first obtaining unit configured to obtain data on a face orientation of an evaluation area on the target object; and a second obtaining unit configured to, based on the data on the face orientation, control the image capturing unit such that the image capturing unit captures images of the reference object until the difference between the face orientation of the evaluation area and a face orientation of the reference object becomes smaller than a threshold value and obtain color information on the reference object for a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image-capturing control apparatus that controls an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a reference object serving as an evaluation reference, to obtain color information to be used for appearance evaluation of a target object, the image-capturing control apparatus comprising:
a first obtaining unit configured to obtain data on a face orientation of an evaluation area on the target object;
a second obtaining unit configured to, based on the data on the face orientation, control the image capturing unit such that the image capturing unit captures images of the reference object until the difference between the face orientation of the evaluation area and a face orientation of the reference object becomes smaller than a threshold value and obtain color information on the reference object for a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value; and
an output unit configured to output the color information on the reference object to an evaluation unit configured to evaluate an appearance of the target object.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the second obtaining unit repeats a process including capturing an image of the reference object and comparing the face orientations of the evaluation area and the reference object until the difference between the face orientations becomes smaller than the threshold value, and
the second obtaining unit ends the process when the difference becomes smaller than the threshold value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
based on image data obtained by capturing an image of the target object and image data obtained by capturing an image of the reference object, the first obtaining unit obtains data on the face orientations of the target object and the reference object.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the first obtaining unit obtains data on the face orientations of the target object and the reference object based on CAD data on the target object and CAD data on the reference object, and
the second obtaining unit obtains image data obtained by capturing an image of the target object corresponding to the data on the face orientation, based on the CAD data on the target object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the first obtaining unit obtains data on the face orientations of the target object and the reference object based on image data obtained by capturing one of the target object and the reference object and CAD data on the other of the target object and the reference object, and
the second obtaining unit obtains image data obtained by capturing the other of the target object and the reference object corresponding to the data on the face orientations.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising
a specifying unit configured to specify an image area corresponding to the target object and an image area corresponding to the reference object in image data obtained by capturing images of the target object and the reference object placed in the same angle of view, wherein
the first obtaining unit sets the image area corresponding to the target object as the image data obtained by capturing the image of the target object and sets the image area corresponding to the reference object as the image data obtained by capturing the image of the reference object.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the output unit outputs image data obtained by capturing an image of the target object to the evaluation unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the image data obtained by capturing the images of the target object and the reference object is image data obtained by capturing the images of the target object and the reference object in the same angle of view.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
data on the face orientations of the target object and the reference object is data representing normals to the faces of the target object and the reference object.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
a display control unit configured to compare data on the face orientation of the target object and data on the face orientation of the reference object and display the face orientation of the reference object for a case where the difference between the face orientations is small.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The image-capturing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the second obtaining unit compares data on the face orientation of the target object and data on the face orientation of the reference object for the entire area of the target object, and
the second obtaining unit obtains image data obtained by capturing an image of the reference object in a case where the difference between the face orientations is smaller than the threshold value.

### Claim 12

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute an image-capturing control method of controlling an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a reference object serving as an evaluation reference, to obtain color information to be used for appearance evaluation of a target object, the method comprising:
obtaining data on a face orientation of an evaluation area on the target object;
based on the data on the face orientation, controlling the image capturing unit such that the image capturing unit captures images of the reference object until the difference between the face orientation of the evaluation area and a face orientation of the reference object becomes smaller than a threshold value and obtaining color information on the reference object for a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value, and
outputting the color information on the reference object to an evaluation unit that evaluates an appearance of the target object.

### Claim 13

An image-capturing control method of controlling an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a reference object serving as an evaluation reference, to obtain color information to be used for appearance evaluation of a target object, the image-capturing control method comprising:
obtaining data on a face orientation of an evaluation area on the target object;
based on the data on the face orientation, controlling the image capturing unit such that the image capturing unit captures images of the reference object until the difference between the face orientation of the evaluation area and a face orientation of the reference object becomes smaller than a threshold value and obtaining color information on the reference object for a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value; and
outputting the color information on the reference object to an evaluation unit that evaluates an appearance of the target object.