Method and apparatus for controlling an imaging apparatus, imaging operation control system, and storage medium storing a program implementing such a method

• US 6,414,716 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1997
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/972,358
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 348/15, 348/16, 348/153, 348/159, 348/143, 348/722, 348/211, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 709/204, 709/225, 709/219, 709/203, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 348/211.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• 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 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and system for performing image sensing operations in an efficient manner in response to video data transmission requests or video camera control requests issued by a plurality of clients. The invention also provides a storage medium on which a program implementing the method is stored. A managing apparatus manages a plurality of camera servers each including a video camera and a controller. When the apparatus receives a video signal transmission request or a video camera control permission request from a client via a network, an available camera server is selected and connected to the client so that the client can control the camera server and display the video signal transmitted from that camera server. Each client can perform a desired camera control operation, receive a desired video signal, and display it on its screen without having to know which camera server is transmitting the video signal to the client.

Claims

1. A managing apparatus for managing a plurality of camera servers, each camera server having a video camera and a controller for controlling the video camera, said managing apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving a camera control permission request transmitted from a client via a network;

retrieving means for retrieving a camera server, having a video camera which is not controlled by another client, from the plurality of camera servers in response to receiving the camera control permission request; and

selecting means for selecting the camera server retrieved by said retrieving means as an object for connecting with a client who transmitted the camera control permission request.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notifying means for supplying information about which client has issued the video camera control permission request to the camera server selected by said selecting means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first notifying means for supplying information to the client about which camera server has been selected by said selecting means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising second notifying means for supplying information about which client has issued the video camera control permission request to the camera server selected by said selecting means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first notifying means further notifies said client of a password used to control the camera server selected by said selecting means, and wherein said second notifying means further notifies said camera server of the same password.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising controlling means for (i) selecting one camera server from the plurality of camera servers in response to said receiving means receiving a video signal transmission request, and (ii) transmitting the video signal generated by the selected camera server to the client that issued the control command.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising video signal distributing means for (i) selecting a first camera server from the plurality of camera servers in response to said receiving means receiving the control command that comprises a video signal transmission request, and (ii) distributing the video signal generated by said first camera server to the client that has issued the control command.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a table for storing information about each video camera of the plurality of camera servers that are currently being used by the clients, and wherein said retrieving means retrieves a camera server having a video camera that is not currently being used by referring to said table.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said table stores the addresses of the plurality of camera servers and also the addresses of clients by which respective camera servers are controlled.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said video camera is capable of being controlled in terms of a camera orientation and zoom ratio, in response to an external command.

11. A method of managing a plurality of camera servers, each including a video camera and a controller for controlling said video camera, comprising the steps of:

receiving a control command transmitted from a client via a network;

interpreting the control command received in said receiving step;

retrieving a camera server having a video camera that is not controlled by another client, from the plurality of camera servers, if in said interpreting step said command is interpreted as a video camera control permission request; and

selecting the retrieved camera server as an object for connecting with a client who transmitted the camera control permission request.

12. A method according to claim 11, said method further comprising a notifying step in which information about which client has issued the video camera control permission request is supplied to the camera server selected in said selecting step.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a first notifying step in which information about which camera server has been selected in said selecting step is supplied to the client.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising a second notifying step in which information about which client has issued the video camera control permission request is supplied to the camera server selected in said selecting step.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said first notifying step further comprises the step of notifying said client of a password used to control the camera server selected in said selecting step, and wherein said second notifying step further comprises the step of notifying said camera server of the same password.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a transmitting step in which, if the control command is interpreted as a video signal transmission request in said interpreting step, one camera server is selected from the plurality of camera servers, and the video signal generated by the selected camera server is transmitted to the client that has output said control command.

17. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a video signal distributing step in which, if said control command is interpreted as a video signal transmission request in said interpreting step, a first camera server is selected from said plurality of camera servers and the video signal generated by s aid first camera server is distributed to the client that has output said control command.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein a camera server having a video camera that is not currently used by the clients is selected by referring to a table storing the information about each camera of the plurality of camera servers that are currently being used by the clients.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein said table stores the addresses of said plurality of camera servers and also the addresses of clients by which respective camera servers are controlled.

20. A method according to claim 11, wherein said video camera is capable of being controlled in terms of camera orientation and zoom ratio in response to an external command.

21. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

outputting a panoramic image to the client, said panoramic image being generated by varying the viewing angle of a camera server of the plurality of camera servers;

transmitting information about a camera parameter including at least one of the orientation of the camera and the zoom ratio of the camera; and

displaying the image displaying areas corresponding to camera parameters received from the plurality of camera servers in such a manner that said image displaying areas are superimposed on said panoramic image.

22. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program in accordance with which a managing apparatus performs a process for managing a plurality of camera servers each including a video camera and a controller for controlling said video camera, said program causing the apparatus to perform the steps of:

receiving a control command transmitted from a client via a network;

interpreting the received control command;

retrieving a camera server having a video camera which is not controlled by another client, from the plurality of camera servers, if in said interpreting step the command is interpreted as a video camera control permission request; and

selecting the retrieved camera server as an object for connecting with a client who transmitted the camera control permission request.

23. A storage medium according to claim 22, said program further causing the apparatus to notify said client which camera server is selected.

24. A storage medium according to claim 22, said program further causing the apparatus to notify said selected camera server which client has issued the video camera control permission request.

25. A storage medium according to claim 23, said program further causing the apparatus to notify said selected camera server which client has issued the video camera control permission request.

26. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein said program causes said apparatus to notify said client of a password used to control the selected camera server, and to notify the camera server of the same password.

27. A storage medium according to claim 22, said program further causing said apparatus to, if said control command is interpreted as a video signal transmission request in said interpreting step, select one camera server from said plurality of camera servers, and transmit the video signal generated by said selected camera server to the client that has output said control command.

28. A storage medium according to claim 22, said program further causing said apparatus to, if said control command is interpreted as a video signal transmission request in said interpreting step, select a first camera server from said plurality of camera servers and distribute the video signal generated by said first camera server to the client that has output said control command.

29. A storage medium according to claim 22, wherein said program causes said apparatus to select a camera server having a video camera that is not currently used by the clients by referring to a table storing the information about each camera of said plurality of camera servers that are currently being used by the clients.

30. A managing apparatus for managing a plurality of image pickup apparatuses, each of which can be controlled by a client, comprising:

a retrieving unit that retrieves an image pickup apparatus which is not controlled by another client, from among the plurality of image pickup apparatuses, in response to a control permission request by the client; and

a selecting unit that selects the image pickup apparatus retrieved by said retrieving unit as an object for connecting with the client.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said selecting unit notifies the client of a password to control the image pickup apparatus selected by said selecting unit.

32. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said selecting unit selects one image pickup apparatus from the plurality of image pickup apparatuses in response to receive of a video signal transmission request by said A receiving unit.

33. An apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a table for storing information about each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses that is currently being used by another client, and wherein said retrieving unit retrieves an image pickup apparatus that is not currently being used by another client by referring to said table.

34. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses has controllable functions including image pickup direction and zoom ratio, and the client controls such functions.

35. A method of managing a plurality of image pickup apparatuses each of which is controllable by a client, comprising the steps of:

retrieving an image pickup apparatus which is not controlled by another client, from the plurality of image pickup apparatuses, in response to a control permission request by the client; and

selecting the image pickup apparatus retrieved by said retrieving step as an object for connecting with the client.

36. A method according to claim 35, further comprising the step of notifying the client of a password to control the image pickup apparatus selected in said selecting step.

37. A method according to claim 35, further comprising the step of selecting, from the plurality of image pickup apparatuses, one image pickup apparatus for outputting a video signal to the client, in response to receiving a video signal transmission request by the client.

38. A method according to claim 35, further comprising the step of referring to a table for storing information about each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses that is currently being used by another client, and retrieving the image pickup apparatus based on a result of the referring step.

39. A method according to claim 35, wherein each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses has controllable functions including image pickup direction and zoom ratio, and the client controls such functions.

40. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program for managing a plurality of image pickup apparatuses each of which is controllable by a client, said computer-readable program causing the performance of the following steps.

retrieving an image pickup apparatus which is not controlled by another client, from the plurality of image pickup apparatuses, in response to a control permission request by the client;

and

selecting the image pickup apparatus retrieved by said retrieving step as an object for connecting with the client.

41. A storage medium according to claim 40, wherein the computer-readable program further causes the step of notifying the client of a password to control the image pickup apparatus selected in the selecting step.

42. A storage medium according to claim 40, wherein the computer-readable program further causes the step of selecting, from the plurality of image pickup apparatuses, one image pickup apparatus for outputting a video signal to the client, in response to receiving a video signal transmission request by the client.

43. A storage medium according to claim 40, wherein the computer-readable program further causes the step of referring to a table storing information about each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses that is currently being used by another client, and retrieving the image pickup apparatus based on a result of the referring step.

44. A storage medium according to claim 40, wherein each of the plurality of image pickup apparatuses has controllable functions including an image pickup direction and zoom ratio, and the computer-readable program causes the client to control such functions.