CONNECTION SETTING METHOD, CAMERA SYSTEM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20110317021A1
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A connection setting method, used in a camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network in order to connect the camera control unit includes: measuring delay of image data from the camera head unit to be connected; and determining a transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected. The determining is so carried out that when the delay is greater than a threshold corresponding to the amount of data smaller than or equal to a maximum amount of transmission over the network, the sum of the transmission rates at which image data transmitted over the network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission over the network and image data having a higher preset priority is transmitted at a higher transmission rate.

Claims

1. A connection setting method used in a camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at le one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network in order to connect the camera control unit, the method comprising:

measuring delay of image data transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected; and

determining a transmission rate, at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected,

wherein the determining is so carried out that when the delay measured in the measuring is greater than a threshold corresponding to the amount of data smaller than or equal to a maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network, the sum of the transmission rates at which image data transmitted over the transmission network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network and image data having a higher preset priority is transmitted at a higher transmission rate.

2. The connection setting method according to claim 1,

wherein in the determining, when the delay measured in the measuring is greater than the threshold, the transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected is lowered after a period has elapsed, the period being longer when the priority is higher.

3. The connection setting method according to claim 2,

wherein in the measuring, when the delay measured in the measuring is greater than the threshold, the delay of image data transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected is measured again after a period has elapsed, the period being longer when the priority is higher, and

in the determining, when the delay measured again in the measuring is greater than the threshold, the transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected is lowered.

4. The connection setting method according to claim 3,

wherein in the measuring, when the transmission rate has been lowered in the determining, the delay is measured again, and

in the determining, when the measured delay is greater than the threshold, the transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected is lowered by a predetermined amount at a time.

5. The connection setting method according to claim 1, further comprising

calculating a compression rate at which image data captured with the camera head unit to be connected is compressed in accordance with the transmission rate determined in the determining and notifying the camera head unit of the calculated compression rate.

6. The connection setting method according to claim 1, further comprising

measuring communication delay produced in association with the camera head unit to be connected and adjusting the delay of image data based on the communication delay on a frame basis.

7. The connection setting method according to claim 1, further comprising

notifying a user that a connection path to the camera head unit to be connected via the transmission network differs from a preset connection path.

8. A camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least One camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network,

wherein the camera head unit includes

an image capturing section that acquires image data,

an encoding section that encodes the image data at a predetermined compression rate, and

a transmitting section that transmits the encoded image data to the camera control unit,

the camera control unit includes

a transmission rate determining section that measures delay of image data transmitted from the camera head unit and determines a transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera had unit to be connected, and

the transmission rate is so determined that when the measured delay is greater than a threshold corresponding to the amount of data smaller than or equal to a maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network, the sum of the transmission rates at which image data transmitted over the transmission network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network and image data haying a higher preset priority is transmitted at a higher transmission rate.

9. The camera system according to claim 8, further comprising

a compression rate determining section that calculates a compression rate at which image data captured with the camera head unit is compressed in accordance with the determined transmission rate and notifies the camera head unit of the calculated compression rate.

10. A recording medium used in a camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network,

wherein the recording medium stores

identifiers that allow the camera head unit and the camera control unit to identify respective connection counterparts, and

priorities for determining a transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit, and

the transmission rate is so determined that when delay of image data transmitted from the camera head unit to the camera control unit is greater than a threshold corresponding to the amount of data smaller than or equal to a maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network, the sum of the transmission rates at which image data transmitted over the transmission network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission over the transmission network and the transmission rate becomes higher in accordance with the priorities.