Network Camera Apparatus and Distributing Method of Video Frames

• US 20070300272A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takanezawa, Tetsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

When a request for a transmitting method of video frames of the client apparatus is received in a communicating unit to communicate with said client apparatus, whether the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording or a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for a live display is discriminated. If the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording, each of the video frames formed in an image sensing unit is temporarily stored in a memory and each of the stored video frames is transmitted. If the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for the live display, a process for transmitting the latest frame among the video frames formed in the image sensing unit is repetitively executed.

Claims

1. A network camera apparatus for transmitting video frames formed in an image sensing unit to a client apparatus, comprising:

a communicating unit adapted to communicate with the client apparatus;

a control unit adapted to, in case that a request for a transmitting method of the video frames of the client apparatus is received in said communicating unit, discriminate whether the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording or a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for a live display,

wherein if the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording, said control unit executes processes for transmitting each of the video frames formed in said image sensing unit, and

if the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for the live display, said control unit executes a process for transmitting the latest video frame formed in said image sensing unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for temporarily storing the video frames, wherein if the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording, the video frames stored in said memory are transmitted in order of time when the video frame has been formed in said image sensing unit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory for temporarily storing the video frames, wherein the video frames which are stored in said memory are the video frames which has not been transmitted in order of time when the video frame has been formed in said image sensing unit because the transmission of the previous video frame has been delayed more than a forming interval of the video frames, and said control unit transmits the video frames stored in said memory in accordance with a retransmitting request from the client apparatus.

4. A video frame transmitting method of a network camera apparatus for transmitting video frames formed in an image sensing unit to a client apparatus, comprising the steps of:

a discriminating step of, in case that a request for the transmitting method of the video frames of the client apparatus is received in a communicating unit adapted to communicate with the client apparatus, allowing a control unit to discriminate whether the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording or a request for the transmitting method of the video frames for a live display;

a first video frame transmitting step of, when the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording, transmitting each of the video frames formed in the image sensing unit; and

a second video frame transmitting step of, when the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for the life display, repetitively executing a process for transmitting the latest frame formed in the image sensing unit.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein in said first video frame transmitting step,

when the received request for the transmitting method of the video frames is the request for the transmitting method of the video frames for recording, the video frames stored in a memory are transmitted in order of time when the video frame has been formed in the image sensing unit.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein in said first video frame transmitting step,

the video frames which are stored in the memory are the video frames which have not been transmitted in order of time when the video frame has been formed in the image sensing unit because the transmission of the previous video frame has been delayed more than a forming interval of the video frames, and the control unit transmits the video frames which are stored in a memory in accordance with a retransmitting request from the client apparatus.

7. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program for allowing the control unit to execute the video frame transmitting method according to claim 4.