Camera control apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to at least one of panning and tilting angles, comprising:
- a display control device for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of said ranges defined by limit of at least one of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera and being formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of video cameras;
a detecting device for detecting a position, which is pointed to by a user, within the first area; and
a selection device for selecting a camera of the plurality of video cameras corresponding to a detecting result of said detecting device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
For easy operation of switching a plurality of cameras, the cameras are arranged in juxtaposition such that the image-sensible range between the cameras partially overlap each other. A frame 36 indicative of a combined image-sensible range which includes an image-sensible range of each of the plurality of cameras is displayed on a monitor screen, and a frame 38 indicative of an image-sensing range of a selected camera is displayed in the frame 36 with a position and size corresponding to the direction and magnification of the image sensing. A sensed image of a corresponding camera is continuously displayed in the frame 38. By moving the frame 38, the image-sensing direction of the corresponding camera is controlled, and by enlarging/reducing the frame 38, the magnification of the corresponding camera is controlled. When the frame 38 is moved to an image-sensible range of another camera, a camera subject to the control operation or image displaying is switched to another camera which corresponds to the new image-sensible range.
49 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to at least one of panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a display control device for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of said ranges defined by limit of at least one of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera and being formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of video cameras;
a detecting device for detecting a position, which is pointed to by a user, within the first area; and
a selection device for selecting a camera of the plurality of video cameras corresponding to a detecting result of said detecting device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
control device for controlling at least one of panning and tilting of the video camera selected by said selection device in accordance with the pointed position.
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5. The camera control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said display control device displays a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area; wherein said a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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6. The camera control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said image-sensible ranges corresponding to each of the video cameras overlap each other, where the overlapped portion is, at least, larger than the second area.
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7. The camera control apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein said display control device displays an image sensed by the camera selected by said selection means, said display control device displaying the image in the second area. -
8. The camera control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said video camera is also controllable with respect to magnification ratio of image sensing.
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9. The camera control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display control device displays the second area in a size corresponding to a zoom value of the selected camera.
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10. The camera control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said detecting device detects a change of the size of said second area, said control apparatus further comprising control device for, in accordance with the position and the size of the second area detected by said detecting device, controlling at least one of panning and tilting and zooming of the camera selected by said selection device.
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11. The camera control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display control device displays a partial area, surrounding said second area, of said first area.
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12. The camera control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
control device for controlling at least one of panning and tilting of the video camera selected by said selection device.
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13. The camera control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first area comprises a seamless image formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of video cameras.
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14. A control method of a camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to at least one of panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a first display step of displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of the ranges defined by limit of at least one of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera and being formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of video cameras;
a detecting step of detecting a designation of a desired position within the first area; and
a selecting step of selecting a camera corresponding to a designated position in accordance with the detection result of said detecting step. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
a second display step of displaying a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area;
wherein a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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20. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising:
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an image display step for displaying an image sensed by the camera selected by said selection step;
wherein said image display step displays the image in the second area.
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21. The control method according to claim 19, wherein said video camera is also controllable with respect to magnification ratio of image sensing.
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22. The control method according to claim 21, wherein the second display step displays the second area in a size corresponding to a zoom value of the selected camera.
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23. The control method according to claim 22, further comprising a control step for, in accordance with the position and the size of said second area, controlling at least one of panning, tilting and zooming of the camera selected by the selecting step.
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24. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising:
a control step for controlling at least one of panning or tilting of the video camera selected by said selecting step in accordance with the position of said second area.
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25. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising:
a control step for controlling at least one of panning or tilting of the video camera selected by said selecting step.
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26. A storage medium storing computer-readable program codes for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to at least one of panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a first-display-step program code for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of image-sensible ranges defined by limit of at least one of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera and being formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of video cameras;
a detecting-step program code for a designation of a desired position within the first area; and
a selecting-step program code for selecting a camera corresponding to a designated position in accordance with the detection result of said detecting step. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
a second display program code for displaying a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area;
wherein a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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30. The storage medium according to claim 29, wherein said image-sensible ranges corresponding to each of the video cameras overlap each other, where the overlapped portion is, at least, larger than the second area.
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31. The storage medium according to claim 29, further comprising an image-display-step program code for displaying the image in the second area,
wherein said image-display-step code displays the image in the second area. -
32. The storage medium according to claim 29, wherein said video camera is also controllable with respect to magnification ratio of image sensing.
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33. The storage medium according to claim 32, wherein the second-display step program code displays the second area in a size corresponding to a zoom value of the selected camera.
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34. The storage medium according to claim 33, further comprising a control-step program code for, in accordance with the position and the size of said second area, controlling at least one of panning, tilting and zooming of the camera selected by the selecting-step program code.
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35. The storage medium according to claim 29, further comprising:
a control-step program code for controlling at least one of panning or tilting of the video camera selected by said selecting-step program code in accordance with the position of said second area.
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36. The storage medium according to claim 29, wherein said first-display-step program code displays a partial area, surrounding said second area, of said first area.
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37. The storage medium according to claim 26, further comprising:
a control-step program code for controlling at least one panning and tilting of the video camera selected by said selecting step program code.
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38. A camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of image sensing apparatuses, comprising:
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displaying unit for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image sensible ranges, each of said ranges defined by limit of at least one of panning and tilting of the image sensing apparatuses, said first area exceeding each field of view of the image sensing apparatuses and being formed by combining images sensed by the plurality of image sensing apparatuses; and
control unit for selecting an image sensing apparatus of the plurality of image sensing apparatus corresponding to a position, which is pointed to by a user, within the first area. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a display control device for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of said ranges defined by limit of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera;
a detecting device for detecting a position, which is pointed to by a user, within the first area; and
a selection device for selecting a camera of the plurality of video cameras corresponding to a detecting result of said detecting device. - View Dependent Claims (44)
wherein said display control device displays a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area; wherein a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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45. A control method of a camera control apparatus for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a first display step of displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of the ranges defined by limit of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera;
a detecting step of detecting a designation of a desired position within the first area; and
a selecting step of selecting a camera corresponding to a designated position in accordance with the detection result of said detecting step. - View Dependent Claims (46)
a second display step of displaying a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area;
wherein a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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47. A storage medium storing computer-readable program codes for controlling a plurality of video cameras which are controllable with respect to panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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a first-display-step program code for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image-sensible ranges, each of image-sensible ranges defined by limit of panning and tilting of each of the video cameras, said first area exceeding a field of view of a camera;
a detecting-step program code for a designation of a desired position within the first area; and
a selecting-step program code for selecting a camera corresponding to a designated position in accordance with the detection result of said detecting step. - View Dependent Claims (48)
a second display program code for displaying a second area indicative of a field of view currently image-sensed by the selected camera within the first area;
wherein a display position of the second area is changed so as to select a desired position within the first area.
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49. A camera control apparatus for a controlling a plurality of image sensing apparatuses which are controllable with respect to panning and tilting angles, comprising:
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displaying unit for displaying a first area indicative of a wide image-sensible range formed by combining image sensible ranges, each of said ranges defined by limit of panning and tilting of the image sensing apparatuses, said first area exceeding each field of view of the image sensing apparatuses; and
controlling unit for selecting an image sensing apparatus of the plurality of image sensing apparatuses corresponding to a position, which is pointed to by a user, within the first area. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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Specification