Image sensing system, control method, and recording medium for controlling a camera apparatus utilizing a client device connected thereto

• US 6,670,991 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishida, Yoshihiro, Oya, Takashi, Takagi, Tsuneyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Villecco, John M
• Application Number:
  US09/159,866
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.8, 348/350, 348/349, 348/207.11, 348/169, 348/207.1, 348/362, 348/208.12, 348/211.3, 348/211.6, 348/211.7, 348/211.9, 348/211.13, 348/211.14, 348/218.1, 348/333.02, 348/345, 348/346, 348/364, 348/557, 348/170, 348/357, 282/255, 282/299, 382/205, 382/271, 358/453
• US Class Current: 348/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation

Abstract

In an image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, the client device displays and arbitrarily shifts a predetermined size of detection area in an object image sensed by the camera apparatus, enabling to quickly perform camera parameter control, such as focus adjustment or the like, based on image signals of the detection area, with a small amount of transferring data. Moreover, detection areas of a sensed image are synthesized by controlling camera parameters for each of the detection areas so as to optimize camera parameters for all of the areas in the object image.

Claims

1. An image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, comprising:

an image sensor for sensing an object and obtaining an image signal of the object;

a detector for detecting an image signal of a detection area in the obtained image signal;

an adjusting unit for adjusting a camera parameter based on the image signal of the detection area;

a storage device for storing the image signal of the detection area sensed by said image sensor after said adjusting unit adjusts the camera parameter;

a shifting unit for shifting the detection area; and

an image synthesizer for synthesizing image signals of a plurality of detection areas stored in said storage device.

2. The image sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said adjusting unit automatically adjusts a focal point based on the image signal of the detection area.

3. The image sensing system according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying an image synthesized by said image synthesizer.

4. The image sensing system according to claim 1, wherein a case where all images of the object sensed by said image sensor are stored in said storage device, said image synthesizer synthesizers the images of all detection areas stored in said storage device.

5. The image sensing system according to claim 1, wherein said storage device stores only image signals of an effective area in the detection area, and said image synthesizer synthesizes images of a plurality of the effective areas stored in said storage device.

6. The sensing system according to claim 5, wherein the effective area is a central area of the detection area.

7. The image sensing system according to claim 5, wherein said shifting unit shifts the detection area such that the effective areas are not overlapped.

8. The image sensing system according to claim 1, further comprising a direction controller for controlling an image sensing direction of said image sensor,

wherein said image synthesizer synthesizes images in unit of the image sensing direction controlled by said direction controlled by said direction controller.

9. The image sensing system according to claim 8, wherein said direction controller pans the image sensing direction by 90°

.

10. The image sensing system according to claim 8, wherein said direction controller tilts the image sensing direction by 90°

.

11. The image sensing system according to claim 8, wherein said direction controller controls the image sensing direction such that the image sensing direction is panned in four directions and tilted in one direction.

12. A control method of an image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, comprising:

sensing an object by an image sensor and obtaining an image signal of the object;

detecting an image signal of a detection area in the obtained image signal;

adjusting a camera parameter based on the image signal of the detection area;

sensing the object by the image sensor after the camera parameter is adjusted;

storing, in a storage device, the sensed image signal of the detection area;

shifting the detection area; and

synthesizing images of a plurality of detection areas stored in said storage device.

13. A recording medium including program codes for processing performed by a client device of an image sensing system where a camera apparatus and a client device are connected for controlling the camera apparatus by the client device, said program codes comprising;

codes for detecting an image signal of a detection area, which is referred to when a camera parameter is adjusted, in an image signal obtained by sensing an object by an image sensor of the camera apparatus;

codes for storing, in a storage device, the image signal of the detection area;

codes for shifting the detection area; and

codes for synthesizing images of a plurality of detection areas stored in said storage device.