Apparatus and system for camera head determination in an image sensing system

• US 20060007326A1
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Keiichi, Haba, Yosito
• Granted Patent: US 7,804,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/083 with signal insertion during the vertical and the horizontal blanking interval , e.g. MAC data signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

In a head detachable camera comprising a camera head and an image processing unit which does not have an exclusive line for notifying the type of image sensing device used in the camera head, when the power switch is turned on, vertical interval data signal processing units of the camera head and the image processing unit are set to a predetermined communication mode, such as one conforming to the NTSC video mode. Under this situation, identification information showing the number of pixels and the video rate used in the image sensing device is transmitted from the camera head by multiplexing the identification information in a blanking period of an image signal, and the communication mode of the camera head is changed in accordance with the number of pixels and the video rate of the image sensing device, if necessary. In the image processing unit, the communication mode is set to one corresponding to the received identification information, and the image processing unit transmits a clock and synchronizing signals corresponding to the communication mode to the camera head.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a connection unit adapted to connect with a plurality of cameras;

an image processing unit adapted to process signals input from the cameras via said connection unit;

a switching unit adapted to switch between the cameras, signals from the switched camera being processed by said image processing unit;

an acquisition unit adapted to, in case an attribute information acquiring request is received, acquire attribute information stored in each of the cameras connected with said connection unit by reading out the attribute information from the cameras;

a storage unit adapted to store the attribute information of each of the cameras acquired by said acquisition unit together with connection information of said connection unit; and

a control unit adapted to, in case a camera switching request is received, cause said switching unit to switch to a requested camera, read out the attribute information of the requested camera stored in said storage unit, and set an image processing parameter corresponding to the read attribute information so said image processing unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sending unit adapted to send to an external apparatus the attribute information of each of the cameras stored in said storage unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, where the attribute information includes at least one of the type of lens and a number of pixels in a sensor of each of the cameras.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connection unit connects with the cameras through signal cables.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribution information acquiring request and the camera switching request are received from an external apparatus.

6. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of ports adapted to connect with a plurality of cameras;

an image processing unit adapted to process signals input from the cameras via said plurality of ports;

a switching unit adapted to switch between said plurality of ports;

an acquisition unit adapted to, in case an attribute information acquiring request is received, acquire attribute information stored in each of the cameras connected with said plurality of ports by reading out the attribute information from the cameras;

a storage unit adapted to store the attribute information of each of the cameras acquired by said acquisition unit together with connection information of said plurality of ports; and

a control unit adapted to, in case a port switching request is received, cause said switching unit to switch to the requested port, read out the attribute information of the camera corresponding to the requested port stored in said storage unit, and set an image processing parameter corresponding to the read attribute information to said image processing unit.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a sending unit adapted to send to an external apparatus the attribute information of each of the cameras connected with said plurality of ports stored in said storage unit.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of the type of lens and a number of pixels in a sensor of each of the cameras.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of ports connect the cameras through signal cables.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the attribution information acquiring request and the port switching request are received from an external apparatus.

11. A control method for controlling an image processing apparatus having a connection unit for connecting with a plurality of cameras and an image processing unit for processing signals input the cameras via said connection unit, said control method comprising:

in case an attribute information acquiring request is received, acquiring attribute information stored in each of the cameras connected with said connection unit by reading out the attribute information from the cameras, and storing in a storage unit the acquired attribute information of each of the cameras together with connection information of said connection unit; and

in case a camera switching request is received, switching to the requested camera whose signals are to be processed by said image processing unit, reading out the attribute information of the requested camera stored in said storage unit, and setting an image processing parameter corresponding to the read attribute information to said image processing unit.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising sending to an external apparatus the attribute information of each of the cameras connected with said connection unit stored in said storage unit.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of the type of lens and a number of pixels in a sensor of each of the cameras.

14. The control method according to claim 11, wherein said connection unit connects with the cameras through signal cables.

15. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the attribution information acquiring request and the camera switching request are received from an external apparatus.

16. A control method for controlling an image processing apparatus having a plurality of ports for connecting with a plurality of cameras and an image processing unit for processing signals input from the cameras via said plurality of ports, said control method comprising:

in case an attribute information acquiring request is received, acquiring attribute information stored in each of the cameras connected with said plurality of ports by reading out the attribute information from the cameras, and storing in a storage unit the acquired attribute information of each of the cameras together with connection information of said plurality of ports; and

in case a port switching request is received, switching to the requested port, reading out the attribute information of the camera corresponding to the requested port stored in said storage unit, and setting an image processing parameter corresponding to the read attribute information to said image processing unit.

17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising sending to an external apparatus the attribute information of each of the cameras connected with said plurality of ports stored in said storage unit.

18. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the attribute information includes at least one of the type of lens and a number of pixels in a sensor of each of the cameras.

19. The control method according to claim 16, wherein said plurality of ports connect with the cameras through signal cables.

20. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the attribution information acquiring request and the port switching request are received from an external apparatus.