Camera control system with electronic zoom processing

• US 6,822,676 B1
• Filed: 01/14/1999
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurosawa, Takahiro, Sato, Hiroaki, Sonobe, Hiraku
• Primary Examiner(s): MOE, AUNG SOE
• Application Number:
  US09/231,018
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/211.5, 348/36, 348/211.7, 348/211.8, 348/211.9, 348/211.13, 348/211.14, 348/143, 348/14.1, 348/14.07, 348/14.09, 348/333.12, 348/240.2, 348/240.1, 348/240.3, 345/753, 345/661, 345/756, 709/204, 709/203, 709/231, 709/212, 709/233
• US Class Current: 348/211.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• 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 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

To solve the problems on camera control such as control of the zoom lens of a camera, caused by the delay time from the time when camera control is performed up to the time when a camera-controlled image arrives, the electronic zoom processing for a displayed image is executed in accordance with the zoom control command, when a zoom control command for the camera is input.

Claims

1. A camera control system for controlling a camera by outputting a control command to a camera server from a client via a network, comprising:

a display device for displaying an image picked up by said camera;

an input device for inputting a zoom control command for said camera; and

an electronic zoom processing device for executing the electronic zoom processing of an image displayed by said display device in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera input by said input device and positional information of a zoom lens of the camera from the camera server,

wherein said image to be subjected to the electronic zoom processing was sent from said camera to said client.

2. The cameral control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control command output device for outputting the zoom control command for said camera input by said input device to said camera server via the network;

a control device for controlling said camera in accordance with the zoom control command output by said control command output device; and

an image output device for outputting an image picked up by said camera to said client.

3. The camera control system according to claim 2, wherein said control device is constituted so as to control the zoom of said camera by changing the position of a zoom lens in the image-pickup optical axis direction of said camera, and

said camera control system further comprising obtainment device for obtaining the information for the present position of said zoom lens and positional-information output device for outputting said information for the present position of said zoom lens,

wherein said electronic zoom processing device executes the electronic zoom processing for the image output by said image output device in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera and the positional information for said zoom lens output by said positional-information output device.

4. The camera control system according to claim 1, wherein

the image process by said electronic zoom processing device is a frame image when a control command is input by said input device.

5. The camera control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control command output device for outputting the zoom control command for said camera input by said input device to said camera server via the network, wherein

said electronic zoom processing device executes the electronic zoom processing for the image displayed by said display device in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera output to said camera server by said control command output device.

6. The camera control system according to claim 1, wherein the positional data corresponds to pulse values of the zoom lens provided from the camera.

7. The camera control system according to claim 1, wherein the positional data is transmitted along with image data from the camera server to the client.

8. A client of a camera control system for controlling a camera by outputting a control command to a camera server via a network, comprising:

a display device for displaying an image picked up by said camera;

an input device for inputting the zoom control command for said camera; and

an electronic zoom processing device for executing the electronic zoom processing on the image displayed by said display device and positional information of the zoom lens of the camera from the camera server, when the zoom control command for said camera is input by said input device,

wherein the image to be subjected to the electronic zoom processing was sent from said camera to said client.

9. The client according to claim 8, wherein

said electronic zoom processing device further executes the electronic zoom processing for an image output from a camera server together with the present operational information for said zoom lens in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera and the present operational information for said zoom lens output from said camera server.

10. A method for controlling a camera control system for controlling a camera by outputting a control command to a camera server from a client via a network, comprising:

the display step of displaying an image picked up by said camera;

the input step of inputting the zoom control command for said camera; and

the electronic zoom processing step of executing the electronic zoom processing for the image displayed in said display step in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera input in said input step and positional information of a zoom lens of the camera from the camera server,

wherein the image to be subjected to the electronic zoom processing was sent from said camera to said client.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

a control command output step of outputting the zoom control command for said camera input in said input step to said camera server via the network;

a control step of controlling said camera in accordance with the zoom control command output in said control command output step; and

an image output step of outputting the image picked up by said camera to said client.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein said control step is constituted so as to control said camera zoom by changing positions of a zoom lens in the image-pickup optical axis direction of said camera,

said control method further comprising an obtainment step of obtaining the information for the present position of said zoom lens and a positional-information output step of outputting the information for the present position of said zoom lens obtained in said obtainment step to said client together with an image to be output in said image output step,

wherein said electronic zoom processing step executes the electronic zoom processing for an image output in said image output step in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera and the positional-information for said zoom lens output in said positional-information output step.

13. The control method according to claim 10, wherein

the image processed in said electronic zoom processing step is a frame image when a control command is input in said input step.

14. A storage medium storing a program of a client of a camera control system for controlling a camera by outputting a control command to a camera server from a client via a network, said programs comprising steps of:

displaying an image picked up by said camera; and

executing the electronic zoom processing of a displayed image in accordance with the input zoom control command for said camera and positional information of a zoom lens of the camera from the camera server,

wherein said displayed image was sent from said camera to said client.

15. The storage medium according to claim 14, wherein said program further comprising a step of:

executing the electronic zoom processing for an image output from said camera server together with the present operational information for said zoom lens in accordance with the zoom control command for said camera and the present operational information for said camera output from said camera server.