SURVEILLANCE CAMERA SYSTEM, REMOTE-CONTROLLED MONITORING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND THEIR CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20070064104A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: IKEDA, Yukio
• Granted Patent: US 8,085,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A surveillance camera system includes a surveillance camera having pan/tilt capability, a display for displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera thereon, a pointing device for indicating the movement of the surveillance camera in a visual field direction, and a remote-controlled monitoring device including a control unit for displaying the images on the display and for displaying a pointer thereon indicating the coordinate position of the pointing device so as to overlap with the images, and when the pointer is moved from a first point to a second point on the images, the control unit transmits a predetermined control signal from the remote-controlled monitoring device to the surveillance camera, and by the control signal, the control unit moves the surveillance camera in the moving direction of the pointer at a speed proportional to the length between the first point and the second point.

Claims

1. A surveillance camera system comprising:

a surveillance camera having pan/tilt capability;

a display for displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera thereon;

a pointing device for indicating the movement of the surveillance camera in a visual field direction; and

a remote-controlled monitoring device,

wherein the remote-controlled monitoring device includes controlling means for displaying the images picked-up by the surveillance camera on the display and for displaying a pointer thereon indicating the coordinate position of the pointing device so as to overlap with the images,

wherein when the pointer is moved by the operation of the pointing device from a first point to a second point on the images picked-up by the surveillance camera, the controlling means transmits a predetermined control signal from the remote-controlled monitoring device to the surveillance camera, and

wherein by the control signal, the controlling means moves the surveillance camera in the moving direction of the pointer at a speed proportional to the length between the first point and the second point.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein when the pointer is moved from the first point to the second point, the controlling means depicts a straight line ranging from the first point to the second point.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein when the controlling means depicts the straight line ranging from the first point to the second point, the controlling means changes the rate of change of a speed of the surveillance camera in the visual field direction in accordance with the length of the straight line.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein when the controlling means changes the rate of change of the speed of the surveillance camera in the visual field direction, the controlling means changes at least one of the boldness and the depicting color of the straight line and the shape of the pointer.

5. A remote-controlled monitoring device for operating a surveillance camera having pan/tilt capability by remote control and for displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera on a display, the remote-controlled monitoring device comprising controlling means for displaying the images picked-up by the surveillance camera on the display and for displaying a pointer thereon indicating the coordinate position of a pointing device so as to overlap with the images,

wherein when the pointer of the pointing device is moved by the operation of the pointing device from a first point to a second point on the images picked-up by the surveillance camera, the controlling means generates a control signal for moving the surveillance camera in the moving direction of the pointer at a speed proportional to the length between the first point and the second point so as to transmit the control signal to the surveillance camera.

6. A control method of a surveillance camera system for operating a surveillance camera having pan/tilt capability by remote control and for displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera on a display, the control method comprising the steps of:

displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera on the display;

displaying a pointer indicating the coordinate position of a pointing device on the display so as to overlap with the images displayed at the first step;

generating a control signal for moving the surveillance camera in the moving direction of the pointer at a speed proportional to the speed of the pointer when the pointer of the pointing device is moved by the operation of the pointing device from a first point to a second point on the images picked-up by the surveillance camera; and

transmitting the control signal generated at the third step to the surveillance camera.

7. A program product for operating a surveillance camera by remote control in a surveillance camera system for operating the surveillance camera having pan/tilt capability by remote control and for displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera on a display, the program product running a computer at the steps of:

displaying images picked-up by the surveillance camera on the display;

displaying a pointer indicating the coordinate position of a pointing device on the display so as to overlap with the images displayed at a first step;

generating a control signal for moving the surveillance camera in the moving direction of the pointer at a speed proportional to the speed of the pointer, when the pointer of the pointing device is moved by the operation of the pointing device from a first point to a second point on the images picked-up by the surveillance camera; and

transmitting the control signal generated at a third step to the surveillance camera.