MONITORING CAMERA SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF MONITORING CAMERA SYSTEM

• US 20150244991A1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosoi, Kosuke, Noda, Junko, Tanaka, Akinobu, Shimizu, Toshihiro
• Application Number:
  US14/629,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244991A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An image processing camera generates movement information on the basis of an omnidirectional image captured at a fixed field angle, and notifies PTZ camera of first movement information through a network. The PTZ camera analyzes the first movement information, changes a field angle to a specific monitoring target area. The image processing camera transmits second movement information to the PTZ camera. The PTZ camera analyzes the second movement information, captures a projected image of the specific monitoring target area when it is recognized that a current field angle is correct on the basis of the second movement information. Accordingly, an image of the specific monitoring target area is captured in a situation where there is no object such as a figure while monitoring a wide range.

Claims

1. A monitoring camera system, comprising:

a first camera which captures an image at a first field angle; and

a second camera which is connected to the first camera to be capable of communicating with each other and captures an image at a variable second field angle,

wherein the first camera notifies the second camera of movement information indicating a movement of an object in a monitoring target area twice at different timings in a specific monitoring target area set in the first field angle in advance,

the second camera changes the second field angle to a field angle corresponding to the specific monitoring target area on the basis of the movement information which is first notified, and

when a movement of the object is not detected in the specific monitoring target area, an image of the specific monitoring target area is captured at the second field angle after being changed on the basis of the movement information which is second notified.

2. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein when first movement information indicates that there is a movement of the object in the monitoring target area, the second camera does not change the second field angle.

3. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein the first camera notifies second movement information after a predetermined period of time has elapsed at which it is assumed that the second camera completes the change in the second field angle.

4. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein the second camera notifies the first camera that the change in the second field angle is completed, and

the first camera notifies the second movement information according to a notification to the effect that the change in the second field angle is completed from the second camera.

5. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein the first camera notifies the second camera of movement information for each of a plurality of monitoring target areas set in the first field angle in advance at one time.

6. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein the first camera notifies the second camera of the movement information including cooperation setting information in which the plurality of monitoring target areas is cooperated as a monitoring target group, and

the second camera determines the specific monitoring target area on the basis of the movement information including the first cooperation setting information.

7. The monitoring camera system of claim 6,

wherein when the first movement information is notified to each monitoring target area of the monitoring target group from the first camera, the second camera priorly captures an image of a monitoring target area having a long elapsed time from a previous image capturing timing.

8. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein when alarm information is notified from the first camera, the second camera changes the second field angle to a field angle corresponding to an alarm area indicated by the alarm information, and captures an image of the alarm area at the second field angle after being changed.

9. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the second cameras is connected to the first camera to be capable of communicating with each other, and

each of the plurality of second cameras changes the second field angle to a field angle corresponding to the specific monitoring target area on the basis of the first movement information notified from the first camera.

10. The monitoring camera system of claim 1,

wherein a plurality of first cameras is connected to the second camera to be capable of communicating with each other, and

when the first movement information is notified from each of the plurality of first cameras, the second camera changes the second field angle by giving priority to the first movement information from the first camera which is firstly notified.

11. The monitoring camera system of claim 10,

wherein when a notification timing of the first movement information which is notified from any one of the plurality of first cameras overlaps with a notification timing of alarm information which is notified from the other first camera, the second camera changes the second field angle by giving priority to the alarm information, and captures an image of a monitoring target area indicated by the alarm information.

12. The monitoring camera system of claim 10,

wherein when notification timings of alarm information which is notified from each of the plurality of first cameras are overlapped, the second camera changes the second field angle by giving priority to the alarm information which is finally notified, and captures an image of a monitoring target area indicated by the alarm information which is finally notified.

13. A control method of a monitoring camera system including a first camera which captures an image at a first field angle, and a second camera which is connected to the first camera to be capable of communicating with each other and captures an image at a variable second field angle, the method comprising:

notifying the second camera of first movement information indicating a movement of an object in a monitoring target area in the monitoring target area which is set in the first field angle in advance by the first camera;

changing the second field angle to a field angle corresponding to a specific monitoring target area on the basis of the movement information which is first notified by the second camera;

notifying the second camera of second movement information indicating a movement of the object in the monitoring target area by the first camera; and

capturing an image of the specific monitoring target area at the second field angle after being changed on the basis of the movement information which is second notified when a movement of the object is not detected in the specific monitoring target area by the second camera.