Video camera system having panhead for use in video conference or the like

• US 6,449,011 B1
• Filed: 03/22/1993
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hideo, Horii, Hiroyuki, Muramatsu, Mizuki
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US08/034,230
• Time in Patent Office: 3,459 Days
• Field of Search: 348/13-15, 348/20, 348/211, 348/213, 348/214, 348/94, 348/95, 348/136, 348/137, 348/138, 348/139, 348/140, 348/141, 348/170, 354/70, 354/99, 354/222, 354/223
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A video camera system is arranged to detect the amount of movement of a video camera, to form image data indicative of the direction of the video camera, and to combine this image data with image data obtained from the video camera. The video camera system is further arranged to combine the camera direction indicating image data with the image data of a wide-angle image obtained from the video camera into data for a display to be made on an auxiliary image plane, and to process the image data of a tele-photo image obtained from the video camera into data for a display to be made on a main image plane.

Claims

1. A video camera system comprising:

a) a video camera for picking up an image of an object;

b) a moving mechanism for changing an image pickup direction of said video camera;

c) detecting means for detecting the absolute image pickup direction;

d) image forming means for forming image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means; and

e) combining means for combining the image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction with data of the image of the object picked up by said video camera.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup direction of said video camera is a direction which is variable by panning.

3. A camera system comprising:

a) a video camera for picking up an image of an object;

b) a moving mechanism for changing an image pickup direction of said video camera;

c) detecting means for detecting the absolute image pickup direction during operation of said video camera;

d) a memory for storing a value of the absolute image pickup direction detected by said detecting means;

e) image forming means for forming image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means; and

f) combining means for combining the image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction and formed by said image forming means with data of the image of the object picked up by said video camera.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said memory is arranged to be capable of storing values detected by said detecting means.

5. A video camera system capable of detecting an image pickup direction of a video camera and showing information of the image pickup direction thus detected on a monitor, comprising:

a) detecting means for detecting the absolute image pickup direction during operation of said video camera;

b) image forming means for forming image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means;

c) memory means for storing data of an image picked up by said video camera when a zooming position of said video camera is set on a wide-angle side; and

d) combining means for combining the image data formed by said image forming means with the image data stored in said memory means;

wherein an image formed on the basis of composite image data obtained by said combining means is arranged to be shown on said monitor along with an image obtained by said video camera.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said monitor is arranged to be capable of displaying a picture consisting of a main image plane and an auxiliary image plane, to display, on said main image plane, the image obtained by said video camera, and to display, on said auxiliary image plane, the image formed on the basis of the composite image data obtained by said combining means.

7. A video camera system comprising:

a) a moving mechanism capable of forming a panning operation;

b) first control means for controlling said moving mechanism;

c) a video camera mounted on said moving mechanism;

d) memory means for storing image data representative of an image obtained by said video camera;

e) image forming means for forming image data indicating an absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of an image pickup direction during operation of said video camera detected by detecting means; and

f) combining means for combining the image data stored in said memory means with the image data formed by said image forming means.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a zoom lens mounted on said video camera, and second control means for controlling said zoom lens.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said memory means is arranged to store image data which is obtained with said zoom lens set on its wide-angle side.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said memory means is arranged to store image data representative of an image obtained when the position of said video camera is at a middle point of a panning angle range within which said video camera can be panned.

11. A system according to claim 7, further comprising analog-to-digital converting means for digitizing an image signal for an image obtained by said video camera, said memory means being arranged to store image data obtained by digitizing said image signal.

12. A system according to claim 11, further comprising digital-to-analog converting means for converting said digitized image signal into an analog image signal, said combining means being arranged to combine the analog image signal obtained by said digital-to-analog converting means with the image data formed by said image forming means.

13. A system according to claim 7, further comprising signal processing means for processing image data obtained by said combining means into a such state as to be able to be displayed on a monitor.

14. A system according to claim 7, further comprising means for combining an image signal obtained from said video camera with an image signal obtained by said combining means.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the image signal obtained from said video camera is combined with the image signal obtained by said combining means in a ratio larger than the ratio of the image signal obtained by said combining means.

16. A video conference system comprising:

a) a video camera for picking up an image of an object and for generating an object image signal representative of the picked-up image;

b) a camera-moving mechanism for changing an imaging pickup direction of said video camera;

c) detecting means for detecting the absolute imaging direction during operation of said video camera;

d) indication signal means for forming a graphic image signal representative of an arrow mark which indicates the absolute imaging direction together with a movable range of the imaging pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means;

e) combining means for forming a combined image signal by combining the graphic image signal formed by said indication signal means with the object image signal generated by said video camera; and

f) means for transmitting and displaying the combined image signal formed by the combining means.

17. A video conference system comprising:

a) a video camera for picking up an image of an object and for generating an object image signal representative of the picked-up image;

b) a camera-moving mechanism for changing an imaging pickup direction of said video camera;

c) detecting means for detecting the absolute imaging direction during operation of said video camera;

d) indication signal means for forming a graphic image signal representative of a graphic image which indicates the absolute imaging direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means, said graphic image including a segment array,

e) combining means for forming a combined image signal by combining the graphic image signal formed by said indication signal means with the object image signal generated by said video camera; and

f) means for transmitting and displaying the combined image signal formed by the combining means.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein at least one segment of said segment array is colored so that the colored segment is distinguished from at least some other segments of said segment array.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of segments of said segment array are colored so that the colored segments are distinguished from at least some other segments of said segment array.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein each of the colored segments is indicative of a predetermined direction of orientation of said video camera.

21. A system according to claim 17, wherein said camera-moving mechanism includes means for panning said video camera.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein said detecting means detects an amount of panning of said video camera.

23. A method for using a video camera system comprising the steps of:

a) detecting by means of detecting means an image pickup direction during operation of a video camera;

b) forming by means of image forming means image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means; and

c) combining by means of combining means the image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction with data of an image of an object picked up by said video camera.

24. A method for using a camera system comprising the steps of:

a) detecting by means of detecting means an image pickup direction during operation of a video camera;

b) storing by means of a memory a value of the absolute image pickup direction detected during said detecting step by said detecting means;

c) forming by means of image forming means image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means; and

d) combining by means of combining means the image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction and formed during the forming step by said image forming means with data of an image of an object picked up by said video camera.

25. A method for using a video camera system capable of detecting an image pickup direction of a video camera and showing information of the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction thus detected on a monitor, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting by means of detecting means the absolute image pickup direction during operation of said video camera;

b) forming by means of image forming means image data indicating the absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of the image pickup direction during the operation of said video camera detected by the detecting means;

c) storing by means of memory means data of an image picked up by said videos camera when a zooming position of said video camera is set on a wide-angle side; and

d) combining by means of combining means the image data formed during said forming step by said image forming means with the image data stored during said storing step in said memory means, wherein an image formed on the basis of composite image data obtained by said combining means is arranged to be shown on said monitor along with an image obtained by said video camera.

26. A method for using a video camera system comprising the steps of:

a) storing by means of memory means image data representative of an image obtained by said video camera;

b) forming by means of image forming means image data indicating an absolute image pickup direction together with a movable range of an image pickup direction during operation of said video camera detected by detecting means; and

c) combining by means of combining means the image data stored during said storing step in said memory means with the image data formed during said forming step by said image forming means.