Remote control pan head system

• US 6,690,412 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Higo, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tillery, Rashawn N.
• Application Number:
  US09/525,899
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/152, 348/211.99, 348/155, 348/211.7, 348/211.13
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

If a remote control pan head on which a TV camera is mounted is installed on the rooftop of a building for example, the TV camera shoots an image in which a part of the building appears. If an operator designates a point on the outline of the building within the image shot by the camera, an image processing apparatus can automatically determine the outline continuing from the designated point. Then, a shooting range restricting device controls the pan head to restrict changeable ranges of a shooting direction and a shooting angle of view of the camera according to the determined outline of the building so that the shot image can be prevented from being spoiled by the building.

Claims

1. A remote control pan head system, comprising:

a pan head on which a camera is mounted, the pan head controlling a shooting direction and a shooting angle of view of the camera;

a controller which controls the pan head;

an outline determining device which determines a position of an outline of a shooting-avoided object by processing an image shot by the camera; and

a shooting-range restricting device which controls the pan head to restrict ranges of the shooting direction and the shooting angle of view of the camera according to the position of the outline of the shooting-avoided object determined by the outline determining device.

2. The remote control pan head system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outline determining device comprises:

a designating device which designates a detection starting point to determine the outline of the shooting-avoided object on an image, shot by the camera, in which at least a part of the outline of the shooting-avoided object appears; and

an image processing device which continuously changes the shooting direction and the shooting angle of view of the camera to determine the position of the outline of the shooting-avoided object continuing from the detection starting point designated by the designating device in an image processing.