IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20030025803A1
• Filed: 11/06/1997
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: MORIMOTO, OSAMU, NAKAMURA, SHUICHI
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to improve usage of a terminal which receives and displays image data, by causing a camera or the like to effectively photograph or take an image existing within a photographable range of the camera, and by holding the photographed image as the image data. In order to achieve the object, it is provided, e.g., an information processing apparatus which can be connected to the plural terminals, comprises an input means for inputting the image data representing the image corresponding to a predetermined range, by causing a predetermined camera means to photograph or take each of plural partial areas obtained by dividing the image corresponding to the predetermined range, a reception means for receiving commands representing positions in the predetermined range, from the plural terminals, an extraction means for extracting the image data corresponding to a part of the predetermined range, on the basis of the command received by the reception means and a transmission control means for causing a predetermined transmission means to transmit the image data extracted by the extraction means, to the terminal which transmitted the command corresponding to the image data.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which can be connected to plural terminals, comprising:

input means for inputting image data representing an image corresponding to a predetermined range, by causing predetermined camera means to photograph each of plural partial areas obtained by dividing the image corresponding to the predetermined range;

reception means for receiving commands representing positions in the predetermined range, from the plural terminals;

extraction means for extracting the image data corresponding to a part of the predetermined range, on the basis of the command received by said reception means; and

transmission control means for causing predetermined transmission means to transmit the image data extracted by said extraction means, to the terminal which transmitted the command corresponding to said image data.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising said predetermined camera means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said camera means is a camera of which operation can be controlled from said information processing apparatus.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for once storing the image data inputted by said input means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input means inputs the image data representing the image corresponding to the predetermined range, by causing said camera means to periodically photograph each of the partial areas.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information processing apparatus is connected to the plural terminals through a communication line.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plural terminals displays on its display unit the image data transmitted from said predetermined transmission means, by using a browser software.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising said predetermined transmission means.

9. A control method of an information processing apparatus which can be connected to plural terminals, said method comprising:

an input step of inputting image data representing an image corresponding to a predetermined range, by causing a predetermined camera means to photograph each of plural partial areas obtained by dividing the image corresponding to the predetermined range;

a reception step of receiving commands representing positions in the predetermined range, from the plural terminals;

an extraction step of extracting the image data corresponding to a part of the predetermined range, on the basis of the command received in said reception step; and

a transmission control step of causing a predetermined transmission means to transmit the image data extracted in said extraction step, to the terminal which transmitted the command corresponding to said image data.

10. A storage medium which stores in a readable state a control program of an information processing apparatus which can be connected to plural terminals, said program comprising:

an input step of inputting image data representing an image corresponding to a predetermined range, by causing a predetermined camera means to photograph each of plural partial areas obtained by dividing the image corresponding to the predetermined range;

a reception step of receiving commands representing positions in the predetermined range, from the plural terminals;

an extraction step of extracting the image data corresponding to a part of the predetermined range, on the basis of the command received in said reception step; and

a transmission control step of causing a predetermined transmission means to transmit the image data extracted in said extraction step, to the terminal which transmitted the command corresponding to said image data.

11. A communication system which is composed of a transmission apparatus for transmitting an image photographed by image pickup means and a reception apparatus for receiving the image from said transmission apparatus through a communication line and displaying the received image, wherein

said reception apparatus comprises display control means for causing predetermined display means to display a wide-range image which was generated and transmitted by said transmission apparatus, and

said transmission apparatus comprises,

photographing control means for causing predetermined camera means to photograph each of plural partial images constructing the wide-range image,

generation means for generating the wide-range image by using the plural partial images obtained by the photographing of said predetermined camera means, and

transmission means for transmitting the wide-range image generated by said generation means to said reception apparatus.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said reception apparatus further comprises transmission means for transmitting an instruction for requesting the wide-range image to said transmission apparatus, and said photographing control means of said transmission apparatus performs the photographing in response to the instruction.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the wide-range image is an entire image within a range which can be photographed by said image pickup means.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein said photographing control means causes said camera means to photograph each of the plural partial images, by changing pan and tilt angles of said camera means respectively by predetermined angles.

15. A communication system which is composed of a transmission apparatus for transmitting an image photographed by image pickup means and a reception apparatus for receiving the image from said transmission apparatus through a communication line and displaying the received image, wherein

said reception apparatus comprises,

generation means for generating a wide-range image by using plural partial images transmitted from said transmission apparatus, and

display control means for causing predetermined display means to display the wide-range image, and

said transmission apparatus comprises,

photographing control means for causing predetermined camera means to photograph each of the plural partial images constructing the wide-range image, and

transmission means for transmitting the plural partial images obtained by the photographing of said camera means to said reception apparatus.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein said reception apparatus further comprises transmission means for transmitting an instruction for requesting the plural partial images to said transmission apparatus, and said photographing control means of said transmission apparatus performs the photographing in response to the instruction.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the wide-range image is an entire image within a range which can be photographed by said image pickup means.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein said photographing control means causes said camera means to photograph each of the plural partial images, by changing pan and tilt angles of said camera means respectively by predetermined angles.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein said reception apparatus further comprises said predetermined display means therein, designation means for designating a part of the wide-range image displayed on said predetermined display means, and photographing range request means for transmitting a command to designate a photographing range to said transmission apparatus on the basis of a position designated by said designation means.

20. An information processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting an image photographed by predetermined image pickup means;

transmission means for transmitting the image inputted by said input means, to a communication partner;

reception means for receiving an instruction command requesting a wide-range image; and

transmission means for transmitting, in response to the reception of the instruction command, the wide-range image generated by using the image of plural image planes photographed by said image pickup means, to the communication partner.

21. An information processing step comprising:

an input step of inputting an image photographed by a predetermined image pickup means;

a transmission step of transmitting the image inputted in said input step, to a communication partner;

a reception step of receiving an instruction command requesting a wide-range image; and

a transmission step of transmitting, in response to the reception of the instruction command, the wide-range image generated by using the image of plural image planes photographed by the image pickup means, to the communication partner.

22. A storage medium which stores an information processing program in a computer readable sate, said program comprising:

an input step of inputting an image photographed by a predetermined image pickup means;

a transmission step of transmitting the image inputted in said input step, to a communication partner;

a reception step of receiving an instruction command requesting a wide-range image; and

a transmission step of transmitting, in response to the reception of the instruction command, the wide-range image generated by using the image of plural image planes photographed by the image pickup means, to the communication partner.

23. An information processing apparatus which can control image pickup means of a communication partner connected through a communication line, said apparatus comprising:

wide-range image request means for transmitting an instruction command requesting a wide-range image, to the communication partner;

reception means for receiving the wide-range image which was generated by using an image of plural image planes obtained with photographing of said image pickup means; and

display control means for causing predetermined display means to display the wide-range image received by said reception means.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises therein said predetermined display means, designation means for designating a part of the wide-range image displayed on said predetermined display means, and photographing range request means for transmitting a photographing range designation command to the communication partner on the basis of a position designated by said designation means.

25. A control method of an information processing apparatus which can control an image pickup means of a communication partner connected through a communication line, said method comprising:

a wide-range image request step of transmitting an instruction command requesting a wide-range image, to the communication partner;

a reception step of receiving the wide-range image which was generated by using an image of plural image planes obtained with photographing of the image pickup means; and

a display control step of causing a predetermined display means to display the wide-range image received in said reception step.

26. A storage medium which stores, in a computer readable state, a control program of an information processing apparatus which can control an image pickup means of a communication partner connected through a communication line, said program comprising:

a wide-range image request step of transmitting an instruction command requesting a wide-range image, to the communication partner;

a reception step of receiving the wide-range image which was generated by using an image of plural image planes obtained with photographing of the image pickup means; and

a display control step of causing a predetermined display means to display the wide-range image received in said reception step.