Camera control system

• US 20060061664A1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ito, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

A camera control system consists of a plurality of camera apparatus, camera control units coupled to the plural camera apparatus, respectively, a transmission path connected to the camera units and a base station connected to the transmission path. The base station has a database and the database is stored with setting values concerning at least photographing direction, image quality and voice quality of the plural camera apparatus and the plural camera control units in a plurality of table formats. An arbitrary camera control unit has a memory unit. A desired setting value of those stored in the database is down loaded to the memory unit on the basis of a command from the camera control unit and the setting values of the plural camera apparatus and camera control units are modified with the down loaded setting value.

Claims

1. A camera control system comprising:

a plurality of camera apparatus each including at least a camera unit;

camera control units coupled to said plurality of camera apparatus, respectively;

at least one base station.; and

a transmission path for connecting the respective camera control units to said base station,

wherein said base station includes a database, adapted to store setting values concerning at least image quality of said plurality of camera apparatus and said plurality of camera control units, and each of said plurality of camera control units has a memory unit,

whereby on the basis of a command from at least one arbitrary camera control unit, a predetermined setting value is down loaded from the setting values stored in said database to the memory unit of said camera control unit and with said down loaded predetermined setting value, setting values of said arbitrary camera control unit and of an associated camera apparatus are modified.

2. A camera control system according to claim 1, wherein pieces of the data stored in said database are registered in a table format in respect of individual menus of plural processing functions.

3. A camera control system according to claim 2 further comprising monitor display units connected to the individual camera control units, wherein an arbitrary camera control unit is so constructed as responding to a command from an operator to be able to select a desired menu of said plurality of processing functions and said monitor display unit is so constructed as to display the selected menu.

4. A camera control system according to claim 3, wherein said camera control unit is so constructed as to respond to a command by the operator to display registration data related to said selected and displayed menu on said monitor display unit.

5. A camera control system according to claim 4, wherein the data registered in said database include a sample image, data for identifying the sample image and parameters of the camera control unit and camera apparatus when said sample image is picked up.

6. A camera control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of camera apparatus has a microphone and a pan and tilt head and said database is registered with, in addition to the setting value concerning the image quality, setting values concerning photographing direction and voice quality.

7. A camera control system comprising:

a plurality of camera apparatus each including at least a camera unit;

camera control units coupled with said plurality of camera apparatus, respectively;

at least one base station; and

a transmission path for connecting the respective camera control units to said base station,

wherein said base station includes a database and a terminal unit provided with a display unit;

wherein each camera control unit is so constructed as to have a memory unit which responds to an operation by an operator of said camera control unit to store setting values at present of said camera control unit and an associated camera apparatus as well as an image from said camera apparatus and to register the stored setting values and image in said database of said base station; and

wherein said terminal unit of said base station is so constructed as to access said database in response to an operation by an operator of said terminal unit and display said registered setting values and image on said display unit of said terminal unit in a modifiable fashion.

8. A camera control system according to claim 7, wherein said terminal unit is so constructed as to create an image of modification object and an image of comparison object from at least said registered image and display them on said display unit, to enable said operator to display parameters related to said displayed image in a modifiable fashion and to transmit parameters of the image modified by said operator to said camera control unit.

9. A camera control system according to claim 7,

wherein said terminal unit is so constructed as to respond to a request from an operator of an arbitrary camera control unit to select an image of diagnostic object and its parameters from the data registered in said database so as to display them on said display unit in a diagnosable fashion;

and

wherein said base station is so constructed as to be able to transmit diagnosis results based on said displayed image and parameters to said camera control unit.

10. A camera control system according to claim 9, wherein said base station has a money charge unit responsive to a request from an operator of said camera control unit to charge for said diagnosis.

11. A camera control system according to claim 7,

wherein said plurality of camera apparatus and said plurality of camera control units are configured to a client system, at least the one base station constitutes a service center and said transmission path includes Internet for coupling said client system and said service center.

12. A camera control system according to claim 7, wherein data stored in said database are registered in a table format in respect of individual menus of plural processing functions.

13. A camera control system according to claim 12 further comprising monitors connected to the individual camera control units, wherein an arbitrary camera control unit is so constructed as responding to a command by an operator of said camera control unit to be able to select a desired menu of said plural processing functions and said monitor is so constructed as to display the selected menu.

14. A camera control system according to claim 13, wherein said camera control unit is so constructed as to respond to a command by said operator to display registration data related to said selected and displayed menu on said monitor.

15. A camera control system according to claim 14, wherein data registered in said database include a sample image, data for identifying said sample image and parameters of the camera control unit and camera apparatus when said sample image is picked up.

16. A camera control system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of camera apparatus has a microphone and a pan and tilt head, and said database is registered with, in addition to the setting value concerning image quality, setting values concerning photographing direction and voice quality.

17. A camera control system according to claim 11, wherein said service center is so constructed as to have a money charge unit and to respond to a request for modification of the image and setting values from said camera control unit so as to transmit modified image and setting values to said camera control unit and to charge said camera control unit for an amount of money on the basis of said money charge unit.