Camera system

• US 20020191082A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hisanori, Fukano, Gentarou, Iga, Ryoutatsu, Fujino, Kenji, Yamamoto, Shuuji, Katsurai, Tooru, Wada, Harumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,369,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to realize a camera system suitable for remote monitoring.

The present invention is made by making improvements to a camera system that transmits camera image data to a network. The camera system comprises:

a camera head including an image sensor and a sensor controller that controls the image sensor;

a video signal processing means that performs video signal processing on image data from the image sensor; and

a web server which transmits image data from the video signal processing means as the camera image data to the network, receives control data from the network, and controls at least the sensor controller or the video signal processing means.

Claims

1. ) A camera system for transmitting camera image data to a network, comprising:

a camera head including an image sensor and a sensor controller that controls said image sensor;

a video signal processing means that performs video signal processing on image data from said image sensor; and

a web server which transmits image data from said video signal processing means as said camera image data to said network, receives control data from said network, and controls at least said sensor controller or said video signal processing means.

2. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said web server comprises an image compression means that image-compresses image data from said video signal processing means.

3. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein control data is sent to said web server by means of a web browser connected to said network.

4. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said control data is dynamic range selection data, integration time data, frame rate data, or amplifier gain data for said sensor controller.

5. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said control data is color matrix adjustment data, white balance adjustment data, gamma correction data, knee correction data, black level adjustment data, or color saturation adjustment data for images in said video signal processing means.

6. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said control data is data for mode selection between automatic settings and manual settings for said sensor controller or said video signal processing means.

7. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

8. ) The camera system of claim 1, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

10. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein said object area setting means defines a minute area for the entire range of image data and raster-scans said minute area, and said parameter setting means obtains brightness information in said minute area, thereby detecting said object area.

11. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein said parameter setting means controls said compression curve or said integration time of said image sensor according to said brightness information.

12. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein said brightness information is a number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or a number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness.

13. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein the starting address and size of at least said object area, and the setpoint of at least said object area for the number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or for the number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness are set externally.

14. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

15. ) The camera system of claim 7, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

17. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein said object area setting means defines a minute area for the entire range of image data and raster-scans said minute area, and said parameter setting means obtains brightness information in said minute area, thereby detecting said object area.

18. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein said parameter setting means controls said compression curve or said integration time of said image sensor according to said brightness information.

19. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein said brightness information is a number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or a number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness.

20. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein the starting address and size of at least said object area, and the setpoint of at least said object area for the number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or for the number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness are set externally.

21. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

22. ) The camera system of claim 16, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

24. ) The camera system of claim 23, wherein said brightness information is a number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or a number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness.

25. ) The camera system of claim 23, wherein said parameter setting means controls said compression curve or said integration time of said image sensor according to said brightness information.

26. ) The camera system of claim 23, wherein said monitoring means transmits the starting address and size of at least said object area and the setpoint of at least said object area for the number of pixels exceeding the upper limit of brightness or for the number of pixels less than the lower limit of brightness through said network.

27. ) The camera system of claim 23, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

28. ) The camera system of claim 23, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

30. ) The camera system of claim 29, wherein said camera control unit includes:

a frame buffer that stores the image data of said image sensor; and

a digital signal processor that isolates pixels from the image data of said frame buffer or compresses said image data.

31. ) The camera system of claim 29, wherein said camera control unit executes the process of isolating pixels if said control data is data for instructing panning or tilting.

32. ) The camera system of claim 31, wherein said control data for instructing panning or tilting is represented by an address signal (x, y) that expresses an image output position.

33. ) The camera system of claim 29, wherein if said control data is a command for instructing zooming, then said camera control unit secures an output frame buffer, the size of which is smaller than said frame buffer, and performs the process of compressing part of image data in said frame buffer into said output frame buffer, according to a reduction ratio applied to said zooming.

34. ) The camera system of claim 29, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

35. ) The camera system of claim 29, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

37. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said web server transmits said camera image data through said network to said external device.

38. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said web server comprises image compression means that image-compresses said image data, which is based on said image sensor, in order to obtain said camera image data.

39. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said image processing program is an image processing applet that runs on the web browser of said external device.

40. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said image processing program extracts features from said camera image data.

41. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said image processing program performs at least one of the processes among binary conversion, edge processing, white balancing, color processing, brightness adjustment, contrast adjustment, moving object detection, face recognition and matching, sharpening, and smoothening.

42. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said memory contains a plurality of image processing programs provided according to the type of image processing.

43. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said image sensor is a CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, or MOS sensor.

44. ) The camera system of claim 36, wherein said network is the Internet, an ISDN network, ADSL network, PHS network, CATV network, or wireless network.

9. ) A camera system for controlling the dynamic range compression curve of an image sensor according to the brightness of a subject, thereby obtaining and sending an optimal image to a network, said camera system comprising:

object area setting means that sets, as an object area, an area where saturation has occurred in a photographing area; and

parameter setting means that detects brightness information in said object area and controls said image sensor according to said brightness information.

16. ) A camera system for controlling the dynamic range compression curve of an image sensor and the integration time of said image sensor according to the brightness of a subject, thereby obtaining and sending an optimal image to a network, said camera system comprising:

object area setting means that sets, as an object area, an area where saturation has occurred in a photographing area; and

parameter setting means that detects brightness information in said object area and controls said image sensor according to said brightness information.

23. ) A camera system for transmitting image data obtained by photographing a subject using an image sensor to monitoring means through a network, comprising:

object area setting means that sets an object area based on an instruction provided through said network from said monitoring means; and

parameter setting means that detects brightness information in said object area and controls said image sensor according to said brightness information.

29. ) A camera system for transmitting camera image data to a network, comprising:

a camera head comprising an image sensor and a sensor controller that controls said image sensor; and

a camera control unit, to which control data is input from said network, to which the image data of said image sensor is input according to said control data, and which at least isolates pixels from said image data or compresses said image data, and then sends said image data to said network as said camera image data.

36. ) A camera system for transmitting camera image data based on an image sensor through a network to an external device, comprising:

memory that stores an image processing program that image-processes said camera image data;

and a web server that transmits said image processing program in said memory through said network to said external device.