Camera control system

• US 6,911,999 B2
• Filed: 01/27/1997
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Akitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/788,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20010010545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,074 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N00.7/14, H04/N00.7/15, 348/15, 348/143, 348/153, 348/159, 348/211, 348/213, 348/13, 348/14, 348/16, 348/705, 348/706, 348/14.05, 348/14.08, 348/14.09
• US Class Current: 348/211.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A camera control system capable of controlling a plurality of cameras determined whether or not the camera to be controlled is controllable. The display state of an interface used for performing a camera operation is changed in accordance with a result of this determination.

Claims

1. A camera control system comprising:

an image reception terminal apparatus comprising,

a determination device constructed to receive information from an image transmission terminal apparatus of a selected camera, the information indicating whether or not the selected camera is controllable, said determination device further being constructed to determine whether or not the selected camera is controllable on the basis of the received information, and

a display controller that displays a camera operation interface that has functions to input a control command to control the selected camera, and that changes a display state of the camera operation interface between a first display state for the selected camera corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is controllable and a second display state for the selected camera, the second display state being different from the first and corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is not controllable, and

wherein the image transmission terminal apparatus comprises a camera and a transmission device that transmits information as to whether or not the camera is controllable.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said image reception terminal apparatus further comprises a controller to disable an operation of the camera operation interface when said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the image reception terminal apparatus further comprises an inquiry device that transmits an inquiry signal inquiring of the image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera is controllable.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the transmission device transmits a signal for answering the inquiry signal from said image reception terminal apparatus.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable when a signal is not received from the transmission device within predetermined period of time after the inquiry signal is transmitted from said inquiry device.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said display controller displays the camera operation interface on a screen.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said display controller displays an image display portion on the screen configured to display images input from a plurality of cameras.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said image reception terminal apparatus further comprises an inquiry device that transmits a signal for inquiring of the image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera of the plurality of cameras is controllable.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said inquiry device transmits the inquiry signal of the image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera is controllable by designating an image input from the selected camera of the images input from the plurality of cameras displayed on the image display portion.

10. A system according to claim 6, wherein said display controller displays the camera operation interface on the screen in different colors according to whether said determination device determines that the selected camera is controllable or uncontrollable.

11. A system according to claim 6, wherein said display controller does not display the camera operation interface on the screen when said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable.

12. A system according to claim 6, wherein said display controller does not display any operation buttons arranged on the camera operation interface on the screen when said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of panning and tilting of said selected camera is controllable on the basis of the control signal from the image transmission terminal apparatus.

36. A camera control system according to claim 1, wherein in the second display state, the control command cannot be input.

14. An image reception terminal apparatus comprising:

a determination device constructed to receive information from an image transmission terminal apparatus of a selected camera, the information indicating whether or not the selected camera is controllable, said determination device further being constructed to determine whether or not the selected camera is controllable on the basis of the received information; and

a display controller that displays a camera operation interface that has functions to input a control command to control the selected camera, and that changes a display state of the camera operation interface between a first display state for the selected camera corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is controllable and a second display state for the selected camera, the second display state being different from the first and corresponding to determination that the selected camera is not controllable.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a controller that disables an operation of the camera operation interface when said determination device determines that the selected camera is controllable.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising an inquiry device that transmits an inquiry signal for inquiring of the image transmission terminal apparatus, which can control the selected camera, whether or not the selected camera is controllable.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable when a response is not received from the image transmission terminal apparatus within a predetermined period of time after the inquiry signal for inquiring of the image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera is controllable is transmitted from said inquiry device.

18. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said display controller displays the camera operation interface on a screen.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controller device displays an image display portion on the screen configured to display images input from a plurality of cameras.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising an inquiry device that transmits an inquiry signal for inquiring of an image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera of the plurality of cameras is controllable.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said inquiry device transmits the inquiry signal for inquiring of the image transmission terminal apparatus whether or not the selected camera is controllable by designating an image input from the selected camera of the images input from the plurality of cameras displayed on the image display portion.

22. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controller displays the camera operation interface on the screen in different colors according to whether the selected camera is controllable or not controllable.

23. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controller does not display the camera operation interface on the screen when said determination device determines that the selected camera is not controllable.

24. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controller does not display any operation buttons arranged on the camera operation interface on the screen when said determination means determines that the selected camera is not controllable.

25. An apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a pointing device that allows an input operation on the screen.

26. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said image transmission terminal apparatus comprises:

a camera controller that controls the selected camera; and

a transmission device that transmits a signal for responding to the inquiry signal regarding whether or not the selected camera is controllable.

31. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the received information is information as to whether or not the selected camera is mounted on a tripod.

32. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the received information is information as to whether or not there is something wrong with a tripod on which the selected camera is mounted.

33. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the camera operation interface can select at least one of pan, tilting and zoom of the selected camera.

37. An image reception terminal apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the second display state, the control command cannot be input.

27. A storage medium which stores a program, providing the processing functions of:

receiving information which indicates whether or not a selected camera is controllable from an image transmission terminal apparatus of a selected camera;

determining whether or not the selected camera is controllable, on the basis of the received information;

performing display control for displaying a camera operation interface that has functions to input a control command to control the selected camera; and

changing a display state of the camera operation interface between a first display state for the selected camera corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is controllable and a second display state for the selected camera, the second display state being different from the first and corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is not controllable; and

displaying an image received from the image transmission terminal apparatus.

28. A medium according to claim 27, wherein said storage medium comprises a program for providing the processing function of controlling to disable the camera control interface wherein the determination result indicates that the selected camera is uncontrollable.

34. A medium according to claim 27, wherein the camera operation interface can select at least one of pan, tilting and zoom of the selected camera.

38. A storage medium which stores a program according to claim 27, wherein in the second display state, the control command cannot be in input.

29. A camera control method comprising the steps of:

receiving information which indicates whether or not a selected camera is controllable from an image transmission apparatus of the selected camera;

determining whether or not the selected camera is controllable, on the basis of the received information;

displaying a camera operation interface that has functions to input a control command to control the selected camera;

changing a display state of the camera operation interface between a first display state for the selected camera corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is controllable and a second display state for the selected camera, the second display state being different from the first and corresponding to a determination that the selected camera is not controllable; and

displaying an image received from the image transmission terminal apparatus.

30. A method according to claim 29, further comprising the control step of disabling an operation of the camera operation interface when it is determined in the determination step that the selected camera is controllable.

35. A method according to claim 29, wherein the camera operation interface can select at least one of pan, tilting and zoom of the selected camera.

39. A camera control method according to claim 29, wherein in the second display state, the control command cannot be input.