Imaging apparatus and method, information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium storing a program therefor

A method executed by an apparatus, the method comprising:

• conducting an area zoom control such that, when a given area is specified as a sub-area of a display region displaying a first image acquired by an imaging unit at a current acquisition magnification and a current acquisition angle, the imaging unit acquires a second image of the given area at a modified acquisition magnification and a modified acquisition angle,
• determining the modified acquisition magnification, at least in part, by comparing a ratio to a limiting magnification, the ratio being of dimensions of the display region with respect to dimensions of the given area, the limiting magnification being based, at least in part, on an amount by which a center of the given area would be displaced from a center of the display region if the limiting magnification were applied,
• wherein
• the modified acquisition magnification is obtained as a result of multiplying the current acquisition magnification by a relative zoom magnification,
• when the ratio is larger than the limiting magnification, the limiting magnification is adopted as the relative zoom magnification, and
• when the ratio is smaller than the limiting magnification, the ratio is adopted as the relative zoom magnification.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer configured to control an imaging apparatus, causes the computer to execute a method comprising:

• controlling the imaging apparatus by conducting an area zoom control such that, when a given area is specified as a sub-area of a display region displaying a first image acquired by the imaging apparatus at a current acquisition magnification and a current acquisition angle, the imaging apparatus acquires a second image of the given area at a modified acquisition magnification and a modified acquisition angle,
• determining the modified acquisition magnification, at least in part, by comparing a ratio to a limiting magnification, the ratio being of dimensions of the display region with respect to dimensions of the given area, the limiting magnification being based, at least in part, on an amount by which a center of the given area would be displaced from a center of the display region if the limiting magnification were applied,
• wherein
• the modified acquisition magnification is obtained as a result of multiplying the current acquisition magnification by a relative zoom magnification,
• when the ratio is larger than the limiting magnification, the limiting magnification is adopted as the relative zoom magnification, and
• when the ratio is smaller than the limiting magnification, the ratio is adopted as the relative zoom magnification.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a controller configured to
• obtain a specification of a given area as a sub-area of a display region, the display region displaying a first image acquired by an imaging unit at a current acquisition magnification and a current acquisition angle,
• compute, in a computing act, a modified acquisition magnification and a modified acquisition angle, the modified acquisition angle based at least in part on a difference between the modified acquisition magnification and the current acquisition magnification, and
• conduct an area zoom control, based on the modified acquisition magnification and the modified acquisition angle computed in the computing act, such that the imaging unit acquires a second image of the given area at the modified acquisition magnification and the modified acquisition angle,
• wherein the modified acquisition angle is computed, in the computing act, based at least in part on displacement data indicating a distance by which a center of an imaged object becomes displaced from a center of the display region when the imaging unit adjusts an acquisition magnification from a first setting to a second setting.