To record an interesting image. An information processing apparatus includes an imaging unit and a control unit. The imaging unit is provided at a flight vehicle which moves in air by utilizing gas lighter than air and is configured to image a subject to generate image data. The control unit is configured to perform control movement of the flight vehicle on the basis of at least one of information relating to the flight vehicle and information of surroundings of the flight vehicle, and to perform control to record the image data generated by the imaging unit.

The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging optical system that is formed of a wide-angle optical system and a telephoto optical system having a common optical axis; a directional sensor; a panning/tilting mechanism that rotates an imaging section, which includes the imaging optical system and the directional sensor, in horizontal and vertical directions; and an image acquisition section that respectively acquires a wide-angle image, and a telephoto image, and a first target object is detected from a wide-angle image, the panning/tilting mechanism is controlled on the basis of information about a position of the detected first target object within the wide-angle image, and image recognition is performed on a telephoto image, when the first target object is positioned at the center of the wide-angle image, thereby recognizing the first target object or a second target object.

A wastewater monitoring system uses a camera in a fixed location in a wastewater pipe that takes a still photograph of a location of interest at defined intervals, such as five minutes. The photographs are retrieved from the camera, and are then analyzed on a computer system that aggregates the still photographs into a video stream, allows a user to define an area of interest on one of the still photographs, then uses suitable algorithms or heuristics to detect changes between the photographs in the video stream. Video clips of interest are then generated using the detected changes, and are identified to a user so the user can review the video clips of interest to determine flows in the wastewater pipe that was monitored.

The invention relates to an inspection and repair module for an internal side wall of a vertically erected structure, with the module including a carrier for supporting at least one data recording mechanism and being securable to a hoist, and for an inspection and repair module for an internal wall of a conduit with the module including propulsion means comprising a set of driven tracked wheels controllable by a controller carried by the carrier and configured to provide, within a conduit, longitudinal forward and reverse motion.

An image capturing control apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a zoom magnification, a combining unit configured to combine a plurality of images acquired by a series of image capturing operations to generate a combined image wider in angle of view than each acquired image, and a control unit configured to perform control to display, before starting of the series of image capturing operations, an item indicating an angle of view of a combined image which is able to be generated by the combining unit, based on the acquired information.

A panoramic device includes a base member and a clamp member rotatably interconnected within a single plane of rotation with the base that includes a first rotatable knob to selectively inhibit the rotation of the clamp member with respect to the base. The upper surface includes a central region that is at a different elevation than another portion of the upper surface. The clamp includes a pair of opposed surfaces suitable to detachably secure a camera thereto. The one of the opposed surfaces is maintained in a fixed relationship with respect to the clamp member. The other one of the opposed surfaces is in a movable relationship with respect to the clamp member using a second rotatable knob. The first knob and the second knob are rotatably connected with respect to one another.

A panoramic device includes a base member and a clamp member rotatably interconnected within a single plane of rotation with the base that includes a first rotatable knob to selectively inhibit the rotation of the clamp member with respect to the base. The upper surface includes a central region that is at a different elevation than another portion of the upper surface. The clamp includes a pair of opposed surfaces suitable to detachably secure a camera thereto. The one of the opposed surfaces is maintained in a fixed relationship with respect to the clamp member. The other one of the opposed surfaces is in a movable relationship with respect to the clamp member using a second rotatable knob. The first knob and the second knob are rotatably connected with respect to one another.

Internal components of power generation machinery, such as gas turbine engines, are inspected with a spherical, optical-camera inspection system, mounted within a camera housing on a distal end of a compact diameter, single-axis inspection scope. The inspection scope includes nested, non-rotatable telescoping tubes, which define an extension axis. Circumscribing, telescoping tubes have anti-rotation collars, which are in sliding engagement with extension tracks on a circumferential surface of an opposing, nested tube, for ease of extension and retraction of the camera during visual inspections of power generation machinery. The camera is advanced and/or retracted along a scope extension axis by nested, drive tubes, which incorporate at least one external drive screw on a circumscribed drive tube and corresponding female threads formed in a circumscribing drive tube. The spherical camera has a 360-degree field of view, and captures images without rotation about the scope extension axis.

Provided is a method for playing a panoramic picture, the method comprising: acquiring a corresponding non-planar panoramic picture according to a picture acquisition instruction; acquiring picture content from the non-planar panoramic picture, and determining a main presentation axis and a presentation centre of the picture content; creating a cylindrical projection plane by using the main presentation axis and the presentation centre, wherein a cylinder extension direction of the cylindrical projection plane is substantially perpendicular to the main presentation axis, and the centre of the cylindrical projection plane essentially overlaps the presentation centre; converting the non-planar panoramic picture into a cylindrical panoramic picture with the cylindrical projection plane; and executing a playing operation on the cylindrical panoramic picture by using a planar display apparatus.

Provided is a method for playing a panoramic picture, the method comprising: acquiring a corresponding non-planar panoramic picture according to a picture acquisition instruction; acquiring picture content from the non-planar panoramic picture, and determining a main presentation axis and a presentation centre of the picture content; creating a cylindrical projection plane by using the main presentation axis and the presentation centre, wherein a cylinder extension direction of the cylindrical projection plane is substantially perpendicular to the main presentation axis, and the centre of the cylindrical projection plane essentially overlaps the presentation centre; converting the non-planar panoramic picture into a cylindrical panoramic picture with the cylindrical projection plane; and executing a playing operation on the cylindrical panoramic picture by using a planar display apparatus.