Camera control system controlling different types of cameras

• US 6,670,984 B1
• Filed: 07/24/1998
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Koichiro, Yonezawa, Hiroki, Kazama, Youichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILIPPE, GIMS S
• Application Number:
  US09/121,690
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 348/385, 348/159, 348/143, 348/555, 348/556, 348/558, 348/153, 348/563, 348/15, 348/17, 348/13, 348/211, 348/14, 725/10
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A camera control system permits a variety of types of cameras to be connected thereto, and makes it possible to control a plurality of cameras by using standardized camera control commands to enable a user to control them without worrying about the difference in type of cameras connected thereto. The camera control system is also capable of supplying the information on the cameras connected to a user. In a camera server, the information on a video camera connected to the camera server is entered, the input of the information on the video camera that has been entered is determined, and the information on the video camera which has been determined is stored. If an external signal is received, then the external signal is converted to a control signal compatible with the video camera according to the stored information on the video camera.

Claims

1. A computer terminal for controlling a video camera locally connected to said computer terminal in accordance with control signals received via a network from a remote operator, said computer terminal comprising:

a plurality of modules which convert control signals received from the network into control signals of different formats, each of said plurality of modules converting received control signals into control signals of a different format corresponding to a different type of camera;

a setting device that sets a type of the connected video camera corresponding to an input entered on the side of said computer terminal; and

a selecting device that selects a module from among said plurality of modules to perform a conversion of the received control signals into control signals of a different format to be transmitted to the video camera connected to said computer terminal in accordance with information regarding the set type of the connected video camera.

2. A computer terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to said computer terminal comprises information regarding the type of video camera.

3. A computer terminal according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of video cameras are connected to said computer terminal, and wherein said memory stores information regarding each of the plurality of video cameras connected to said computer terminal.

4. A computer terminal according to claim 3, wherein said selecting device selects a module corresponding to one video camera from among said plurality of video cameras connected to said computer terminal.

5. A computer terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to said computer terminal comprises interface specifications for transmitting a signal between said video camera and said computer terminal.

6. A computer terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to said computer terminal comprises information indicative of the presence of a switcher which permits the connection of a plurality of video cameras to said computer terminal and which selectively switches among video signals from said plurality of video cameras connected to said computer terminal.

7. A computer terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input device arranged to enter information regarding the video camera connected to said computer terminal, and

wherein said selecting device determines the information regarding said video camera entered by said input device and stores it in said memory.

8. A computer terminal according to claim 7, wherein said input device inputs an indication of whether a wide angle converter function of said video camera is to be used.

9. A computer terminal according to claim 7, further comprising an output device that outputs the information regarding said video camera determined by said selecting device to another computer terminal.

10. A control method of a computer terminal for controlling a video camera locally connected to the computer terminal in accordance with control signals received via a network from a remote operator, comprising:

a step of setting a type of the connected video camera corresponding to an input entered on the side of said computer terminal; and

a step of selecting one module from among a plurality of modules of the computer terminal which convert control signals received via the network into control signals of different formats, each of the plurality of modules converting received control signals into control signals of a different format corresponding to a different type of camera, the selected one module converting the received control signals into control signals of a different format to be transmitted to the video camera connected to the computer terminal in accordance with information regarding the set type of the connected video camera.

11. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal comprises information on the type of video camera.

12. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of video cameras are connected to the computer terminal, and wherein said acquiring step acquires information regarding each of the plurality of video cameras connected to the computer terminal.

13. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 12, wherein said selecting step selects a module corresponding to one video camera from among the plurality of video cameras connected to the computer terminal.

14. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal comprises interface specifications for transmitting a signal between the video camera and the computer terminal.

15. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, wherein the information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal comprises information indicative of the presence of a switcher which permits the connection of a plurality of video cameras to the computer terminal and which selectively switches among video signals from the plurality of video cameras connected to the computer terminal.

16. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, further comprising:

an input step of entering information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal; and

a determining step of determining the information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal entered in said input step.

17. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 16, wherein said input step includes inputting an indication of whether a wide angle converter function of the video camera connected to the computer terminal is to be used.

18. A control method of a computer terminal according to claim 10, further comprising an output step of outputting to the network the information regarding the video camera connected to the computer terminal determined by said determining step.

19. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program for causing a computer terminal to control a video camera locally connected to the computer terminal in accordance with a control signal received via a network from a remote operator, said program causing the computer terminal to:

set a type of the connected video camera corresponding to an input entered on the side of said computer terminal; and

select one module from among a plurality of modules which convert received control signals into control signals of different formats, wherein each of the plurality of modules converts received control signals into a different control format that corresponds to a different type of camera, said selected one module converting the received control signals into control signals to be transmitted to the video camera connected to the computer terminal in accordance with information regarding the set type of video camera connected to the computer terminal.

20. A computer terminal for controlling a video camera locally connected to said computer terminal, from among a plurality of video cameras connected to said computer terminal, in accordance with control signals received via a network from a remote operator, said computer terminal comprising:

a plurality of modules which convert control signals received from the network into control signals of different formats, each of said plurality of modules converting received control signals into control signals of a different format corresponding to a different type of video camera connected to said computer terminal;

a setting device that sets a type of the connected video camera corresponding to an input entered on the side of said computer terminal; and

a selecting device that selects a module from among said plurality of modules to perform a conversion of the received control signals into control signals of a different format to be transmitted to the video camera connected to said computer terminal in accordance with information regarding the set type of the connected video camera.

21. A control method of a computer terminal for controlling a video camera locally connected to the computer terminal, from among a plurality of video cameras connected to said computer terminal, in accordance with control signals received via a network from a remote operator, comprising:

a step of setting a type of the connected video camera corresponding to an input entered on the side of said computer terminal; and

a step of selecting one module from among a plurality of modules of the computer terminal which convert control signals received via the network into control signals of different formats, each of the plurality of modules converting received control signals into control signals of a different format corresponding to a different type of video camera connected to the computer terminal, the selected one module converting the received control signals into control signals of a different format to be transmitted to the video camera connected to the computer terminal in accordance with information regarding the set type of the connected video camera.