Camera control system

• US 6,741,276 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Koichiro, Yonezawa, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US09/349,489
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143-159, 348/211-217
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

In a camera control system, a video sending terminal sends video from a video camera through a network to client terminals. The video camera is controlled by control commands from a client terminal which has been issued control from the video sending terminal in response to a request for control by the client terminal. The client terminal currently controlling the video camera is notified of a new request for control of the video camera made by another client terminal so that client terminals are notified of the locality of the video camera control.

Claims

1. A video sending terminal for sending to client terminals a video from a video camera through a network and controlling the video camera in accordance with a control command from a client terminal which has control of the video camera, the video sending terminal comprising:

an issuing device that issues control of the video camera in response to a request, for control of the video camera, made by a client terminal;

a control device that controls the video camera in response to the control command from the client terminal to which the issuing device has issued control of the video camera; and

a notifying device that notifies the client terminal, which currently has control of the video camera issued by the issuing device, of an other client terminal making a new request for control of the video camera, when the new request for control of the video camera is made by said other client terminal.

2. A video sending terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notifying device notifies the client terminal, which currently has control of the video camera, of information about said other client terminal which has made the new request for control of the video camera.

3. A video sending terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notifying device notifies the client terminal, which has made the new request for control of the video camera, of information about the client terminal which currently has control of the video camera.

4. A video sending terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notifying device notifies a client terminal, which receives the video from the video camera, of information about an other client terminal which has newly gained control of the video camera when said other client terminal newly gains control of the video camera.

5. A video sending terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notifying device notifies a client terminal, which receives the video from the video camera, that control of the video camera has been released, when the client terminal which had control of the video camera releases control of the video camera.

6. A video sending terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a registering device that registers an order of priority of the client terminals, wherein the issuing device issues control of the video camera in accordance with the order of priority registered by the registering device.

7. A client terminal for controlling a video camera by gaining control of the video camera, the client terminal comprising:

an output device that outputs, to a video sending terminal, a new request for control of the video camera; and

a notifying device that notifies an other client terminal, which currently has control of the video camera, that the output device has issued the new request for control of the video camera to the video sending terminal.

8. A client terminal according to claim 7, wherein the notifying device notifies a client terminal, which receives video from the video camera, that control of the video camera has been released, when the client terminal which had control of the video camera releases control of the video camera.

9. A client terminal according to claim 7, wherein the notifying device notifies the client terminal, which is currently receiving video from the video camera, that the client terminal has gained control of the video camera when the client terminal gains control of the video camera by outputting a request for control of the video camera from the output device.

10. A client terminal according to claim 7, further comprising a display device that displays information notified by the notifying device as text information.

11. A video sending terminal for sending to client terminals a video from a video camera through a network and controlling the video camera in accordance with a control command from a client terminal, the video sending terminal comprising:

a control device that controls the video camera in accordance with the control command of the video camera; and

a notifying device that notifies a first client terminal that a new control command for the video camera has been received from a second client terminal, when the new control command is received from the second client terminal different from the first client terminal which has issued the control command under which the control device currently controls the video camera.

12. A video sending terminal according to claim 11, wherein the notifying device notifies the first client terminal, which currently controls the video camera, of information about the second client terminal which has newly issued the new control command for the video camera.

13. A video sending terminal according to claim 11, wherein the notifying device notifies the second client terminal, which has issued the new control command, of information about the first client terminal which currently controls the video camera, when the new control command is issued with the video camera under the current control.

14. A video sending terminal according to claim 11, wherein the notifying device notifies a client terminal, which currently receives the video from the video camera, of information about the second client terminal which has issued the new control command for the video camera, when the new control command for the video camera is issued.

15. A client terminal for controlling a video camera by issuing a control command to a video sending terminal, the client terminal comprising:

an output device that outputs the control command for the video camera to the video sending terminal; and

a notifying device that notifies an other client terminal, which currently controls the video camera, that a new control command for the video camera has been issued to the video sending terminal.

16. A client terminal according to claim 15, wherein the notifying device notifies a client terminal, which receives video from the video camera, that control of the video camera is terminated when the control of the video camera is terminated.

17. A client terminal according to claim 15, wherein the notifying device notifies an other client terminal, which receives video from the video camera, that the video camera is now controlled by the client terminal when the video camera gives an output in response to a control signal output by the client terminal.

18. A client terminal according to claim 15, further comprising a display device that displays information notified by the notifying device as text information.

19. A client terminal for controlling a plurality of video cameras through a network, the client terminal comprising:

a display device that selectively displays videos from the plurality of video cameras on the same screen; and

a retrieving device that retrieves information about a user of an other client terminal, if said other client terminal receives any video, among the videos from the plurality of video cameras, presented in the display device,

wherein, for displaying, the display device superimposes information about a user of the client terminal retrieved by the retrieving device onto the video which said other client terminal also receives from the video camera.

20. A client terminal according to claim 19, wherein the retrieving device retrieves the information about the user of the other client terminal, if said other client terminal controls one of the plurality of video cameras that provide the video on the display device.

21. A client terminal according to claim 20, wherein, with the video camera under control, the display device displays the videos, with the user of the client terminal controlling the video camera and the user of the other client terminal just receiving the video from the video camera discriminated one from another.

22. A client terminal according to claim 19, further comprising a communication device that communicates with a client terminal corresponding desired information by indicating the desired information among a plurality of pieces of information about users of the client terminals presented by the display device.

23. A client terminal according to claim 19, wherein information about the user of the client terminal retrieved by the retrieving device is video information to identify the user.

24. A control method for a camera control system, in which a plurality of client terminals selectively control a video camera connected to a video sending terminal, the control method comprising the steps of:

controlling the video camera according to a request for control of the video camera received from a client terminal of the plurality of client terminals, the client terminal having current control of the video camera;

outputting from an other client terminal of the plurality of client terminals a new request for control of the video camera;

issuing control of the video camera in response to receipt of the new request for control of the video camera from the other client terminal; and

notifying the client terminal which has current control of the video camera that the new request for control of the video camera has been received, when the new request for control of the video camera is received from the other client terminal.

25. A control method according to claim 24, wherein the notifying step includes notifying the client terminal which has current control of the video camera of information about the other client terminal which output the new request for control of the video camera.

26. A control method according to claim 24, wherein the notifying step includes notifying the other client terminal, which output the new request for control of the video camera, of information about the client terminal which has current control of the video camera, when the new request for control of the video camera is received.

27. A control method for a camera control system, in which a video camera is controlled by sending a control command to a video sending terminal, the control method comprising the steps of:

controlling the video camera in accordance with a control command for the video camera sent to the video sending terminal by a first client terminal, the first client having current control of the video camera; and

notifying the first client terminal that a new control command for the video camera has been sent from a second client terminal to the video sending terminal, when the new control command is received by the video sending terminal from the second client terminal.

28. A control method according to claim 27, wherein the notifying step includes notifying the first client terminal, which has current control of the video camera, of information about the second client terminal which has sent the new control command for the video camera.

29. A control method according to claim 27, wherein the notifying step includes notifying the second client terminal, which has issued the new control command, of information about the first client terminal which has current control of the video camera, when the new control command is issued with the video camera under current control.

30. A camera control method, in which a client terminal controls a plurality of video cameras by issuing a control command through a network, the camera control method comprising the steps of:

selectively displaying videos from the plurality of video cameras on the same screen; and

retrieving information about a user of an other client terminal, if the other client terminal receives any video, among the videos from the plurality of video cameras, presented in the displaying step,

wherein, for displaying, the displaying step superimposes the information about the user of the other client terminal retrieved in the retrieving step onto the video which the other client terminal also receive from the video camera.

31. A camera control method according to claim 30, wherein the retrieving step retrieves the information about the user of the other client terminal, if the other client terminal controls one of the plurality of video cameras that provide the videos presented in the displaying step.

32. A camera control method according to claim 30, wherein, with video camera under control, the displaying step displays the videos with the user of the client terminal controlling the video camera and the user of the other client terminal just receiving the video from the video camera discriminated one from the other.

33. A camera control method according to claim 30, further comprising a communication step for communicating with a client terminal corresponding desired information by indicating the desired information among a plurality of pieces of information about the users of the client terminals presented in the displaying step.

34. A camera control method according to claim 30, wherein the information about the user of the client terminal retrieved in the retrieving step is video information to identify the user.

35. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a video sending terminal that controls a video camera in accordance with a control command from a client terminal having control of the video camera, the program comprising the steps of:

issuing control of the video camera in response to a request for control of the video camera output by the client terminal; and

notifying the client terminal, which currently has control of the video camera, that the request for control of the video camera has been newly issued, when the request for control of the video camera has been newly issued with the video camera under control.

36. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a client terminal that controls a video camera by gaining control, the program comprising the steps of:

outputting a request for control of a video camera to a video sending terminal; and

notifying an other client terminal, which currently has control of the video camera, that the request for control of the video camera has been issued to the video sending terminal, when the other client terminal has current control of the video camera.

37. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a video sending terminal that sends a video from a video camera to a client terminal through a network and controls the video camera in accordance with a control command from the client terminal, the program comprising the steps of:

controlling the video camera in accordance with the control command for the video camera; and

notifying a first client terminal that a control command for the video camera has been newly received from a second client terminal, when the control command has been newly received from the second client terminal different from the first client terminal which has issued the control command under which the video camera is currently controlled.

38. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a client terminal that controls a video camera by outputting a control command to a video sending terminal, the program comprising the steps of:

outputting the control command for the video camera to the video sending terminal; and

notifying an other client terminal, which currently controls the video camera, that a control command for the video camera has been output to the video sending terminal, when the video camera is controlled by the other client terminal.

39. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a client terminal that controls a plurality of video cameras through a network, the program comprising the steps of:

selectively displaying videos from the plurality of video cameras on the same screen; and

retrieving information about a user of an other client terminal, if the other client terminal receives any video, among the videos from the plurality of video cameras, presented in the displaying step,

wherein, when displayed, the information about the user of the other client terminal retrieved is superimposed onto the video which the other client terminal also receives from the video camera.

40. A storage medium according to claim 39, wherein the information about the user of the other client terminal is retrieved, if the other client terminal controls one of the plurality of video cameras that provide the videos.

41. A storage medium according to claim 39, wherein, with the video camera under control, the videos are displayed with the user controlling the video camera and the user just receiving the video from the video camera discriminated one from the other.

42. A storage medium according to claim 39, wherein communicating with a client terminal corresponding desired information is performed by indicating the desired information among a plurality of pieces of information about the users of the client terminals.