NETWORK CAMERA SYSTEM AND NETWORK CAMERA CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20070130600A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yanai, Shin
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A network camera system that transmits video captured by a camera to a client via a network include a recording device directly connected thereto or built therein, wherein the client switches between a normal mode in which the camera transmits continuous video images and a file transfer mode in which video captured by the camera is temporarily stored as a file in the recording device and the file is transferred to the client in response to an instruction from the client.

Claims

1. A network camera system that transmits video captured by a camera to a client via a network, the camera comprising

a recording device directly connected thereto or built therein, wherein the client switches between a normal mode in which the camera transmits continuous video images and a file transfer mode in which video captured by the camera is temporarily stored as a file in the recording device and the file is transferred to the client in response to an instruction from the client.

2. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein when a moving object is detected from the video captured by the camera, the client switches from the normal mode to the file transfer mode.

3. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined object is detected from the video captured by the camera, the client switches from the normal mode to the file transfer mode.

4. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein the client switches between the normal mode and the file transfer mode according to a preset schedule.

5. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein the camera stores video for the last certain period of time as a file in the recording device during the normal mode and transfers the file to the client in response to an instruction from the client.

6. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein file transfer in the file transfer mode is performed using a size within a preset usage band of the network.

7. The network camera system according to claim 1, wherein file transfer in the file transfer mode is performed by maneuverably changing the size within a preset usage band of the network.

8. A network camera control program executed on a client computer to allow the client to receive video captured by a camera via a network, the network camera control program comprising the step of:

switching between a normal mode in which continuous video images captured by the camera are continuously received via the network and a file transfer mode in which the continuous video images captured by the camera are temporarily stored as files in a recording device directly connected to the camera or built in the camera and the files are then received via the network.

9. The network camera control program according to claim 8, wherein when a moving object is detected from the video captured by the camera, the normal mode is switched to the file transfer mode.

10. The network camera control program according to claim 8, wherein when a predetermined object is detected from the video captured by the camera, the normal mode is switched to the file transfer mode.

11. The network camera control program according to claim 8, wherein a preset schedule switches between the normal mode and the file transfer mode.

12. The network camera control program according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

storing video for the last certain period of time as a file in the recording device during the normal mode and then receiving the file.

13. The network camera control program according to claim 8, wherein file transfer in the file transfer mode is performed using a size within a preset usage band of the network.

14. The network camera control program according to claim 8, wherein file transfer in the file transfer mode is performed by maneuverably changing the size within a preset usage band of the network.