Camera control system, image pick-up server, client, control method and storage medium therefor

• US 6,985,178 B1
• Filed: 09/22/1999
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Morita, Kenji, Kawai, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHIPKEY, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US09/401,400
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.99, 348/211.9, 348/211.14, 348/211.6, 348/211.3
• US Class Current: 348/211.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a camera control system which will not invade one'"'"'s privacy even if a camera is located where there is a problem in terms of privacy. To accomplish this, the system is provided with an input unit for inputting a control command for controlling shooting direction or zoom magnification of the camera, a calculation unit for calculating, on the basis of the control command input by the input unit, an area to be imaged by the camera, a limiting unit for limiting a control range of the zoom magnification of the camera in a case where the imaging area of the camera calculated by the calculation unit overlaps a prescribed area; and a control unit for controlling the zoom magnification of the camera so as to fall within the control range, which has been limited by the limiting unit, in a case where the zoom magnification of the camera exceeds the control range limited by the limiting unit.

Claims

1. An image pick-up server, which has camera, for performing a distribution service which distributes video information obtained by the camera to a client via a network, comprising:

a storage device adapted to set a plurality of shootable areas, which are the object of the distribution service, within a range in which shooting direction of said camera can be changed, and to store information relating to the plurality of shootable areas set and information which specifics a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the shootable areas;

a notifying device adapted to notify the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored by said storage device;

a receiving device adapted to receive a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified by said notifying device; and

a control device adapted to read out, from said storage device, information corresponding to virtual camera selected by the client, after receiving the selection command from the client, to set a range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction of said camera based upon the information relating to the shootable area indicated by the information that has been read out, and to control said camera within the range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein said storage device stores, with respect to said plurality of shootable areas, identification numbers of respective ones of said virtual camera, and information indicating ranges of pan and tilt angles of said camera.

3. The server according to claim 2, wherein said storage device stores information indicating ranges over which zoom magnification can be changed with respect to said plurality of shootable areas.

4. The server according to claim 1, wherein said control device includes a inhibiting device adapted to inhibit distribution of video information, which has been obtained by said camera, during changing of the shooting direction of said camera in order to change over the virtual camera.

5. The server according to claim 1, wherein information relating to the shootable areas is stored in the server.

6. A client connected to the image pick-up server set forth in claim 1, comprising:

a selection notification device adapted to select one of said virtual camera that have been stored in said storage device and notifying said image pick-up server of the information specifying the selected virtual camera;

a display device adapted to display an image distributed by said image pick-up server; and

a shooting-direction change designation device adapted to change the shooting direction of the virtual camera selected by said selection notification device and instructing said server of result of the change.

7. The client according to claim 6, wherein the information relating to the shootable areas is downloaded from said image pick-up server.

8. An image pick-up system comprising an image pick-up server, which has a camera, for performing a distribution service which distributes video information obtained by said camera to a client via a network, and a client for receiving the video information from said image pick-up server, wherein said image pick-up server includes:

a storage device adapted to set a plurality of shootable areas, which are the object of the distribution service, within a range in which shooting direction of said camera can be changed, and to store information relating to the plurality of shootable areas set and information which specifies a plurality of virtual camera for respective ones of the shootable areas;

a notifying device adapted to notify the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored by said storage device;

a receiving device adapted to receive a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified by said notifying device; and

a control device adapted to read out, from said storage device, information corresponding to virtual camera selected by the client, after receiving the selection command from the client, to set a range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction of said device based upon the information relating to the shootable area indicated by the information that has been read out, and to control said camera within the range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction; and

said client includes;

selection notification device adapted to select one of said virtual cameras that have been stored in said storage device and to notify said image pick-up server of the information specifying the selected virtual camera;

a display device adapted to display an image distributed by said image pick-up server; and

a shooting-direction change designation device adapted to change the shooting direction of the virtual camera selected by said selection notification device and to instruct said server of result of the change.

9. A method of controlling an image pick-up server, which has a camera, for performing a distribution service which distributes video information obtained by said camera to a client via a network, said method comprising:

a storage step of setting a plurality of shootable areas, which are the object of the distribution service, within a range in which shooting direction of said camera can be changed, and storing, in a storage device, information relating to the plurality of shootable areas set and information which specifies a plurality of virtual camera for respective ones of the shootable areas;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a control step of reading out, from said storage device, information corresponding to a virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client, setting a range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction of said camera based upon the information relating to the shootable area indicated by the information that has been read out, and controlling said camera within the range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction.

10. A storage medium storing program code which, by being read in and executed by a computer, functions as an image pick-up server, which has a camera, for performing a distribution service which distributes video information obtained by said camera to a client via a network, said storage medium storing program code which functions as:

a storage step of setting a plurality of shootable areas, which are the object of the distribution service, within a range in which shooting direction of said camera can be changed, and storing, in a storage device information relating to the plurality of shootable areas set and information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the shootable areas;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a control step of reading out, from said storage device, information corresponding to a virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client setting a range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction of said camera based upon the information relating to the shootable area indicated by the information that has been read out, and controlling said camera within the range in which it is possible to change the shooting direction.

11. An image pick-up server for distributing image information obtained by a camera to a client via a network, comprising:

storage device for storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges

a notifying device for notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored by said storage device;

a receiving device for receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified by said notifying device; and

a control device for controlling said camera within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.

12. The image pick-up server according to claim 11, wherein each of control ranges is defined by variable range of at least one of pan, tilt, and zoom of said image sensing apparatus.

13. The image pick-up server according to claim 11, wherein said control device controls said image sensing apparatus in accordance with a control command from the client, and when the control command exceeds the control range, said control device resets the control command to be within the control range.

14. The image pick-up server according to claim 11, further comprising a changing device for changing the virtual camera in accordance with the selection information received from the client.

15. The image pick-up server according to claim 14, wherein distribution of image information to the client is inhibited during changing the virtual camera by said changing device.

16. An image pick-up server for distributing image information obtained by a camera to a client via a network, comprising:

a storage device for storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges;

a notifying device for notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored by said storage device;

a receiving device for receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified by said notifying device; and

a distributing device for distributing image information within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.

17. The image pick-up server according to claim 16, wherein each of control range is defined by variable range of at least one of pan, tilt, and zoom of said image sensing apparatus.

18. The image pick-up server according to claim 16, wherein said distributing device distributes the image information in accordance with a control command from the client, and when the control command exceeds the control range, said distributing device resets the control command to be within the control range.

19. The image pick-up server according to claim 16, further comprising a changing device for changing the virtual camera in accordance with the selection information received from the client.

20. The image pick-up server according to claim 19, wherein said distributing device does not distribute image information to the client during changing the virtual camera by said changing device.

21. A method of controlling an image pick-up server for distributing image information obtained by a camera to a client via a network, said method comprising:

a storage step of storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a control step of controlling said camera within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.

22. A method of distributing image information obtained by a camera from an image pick-up server to a client via a network, said method comprising:

a storing step of storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a distributing step of distributing image information within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.

23. A storage medium storing program code which, by being read in and executed by a computer, functions as an image pick-up server for distributing image information obtained by a camera to a client via a network, said storage medium storing program code which functions as:

a storage step of storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a control step of controlling said camera within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.

24. A storage medium storing program code which, by being read in and executed by a computer, functions as an image pick-up server for distributing image information obtained by a camera to a client via a network, said storage medium storing program code which functions as:

a storing step of storing a plurality of control ranges, which are the objects of the distribution, within an entire range in which the camera is sensible, and storing identification information which specifies a plurality of virtual cameras for respective ones of the control ranges;

a notifying step of notifying the client of the identification information of plurality of virtual cameras stored in said storage step;

a receiving step of receiving a selection command from the client selecting one of the plurality of virtual cameras corresponding to the identification information notified in said notifying step; and

a distributing step of distributing image information within the control range corresponding to the identification information of the virtual camera selected by the client after receiving the selection command from the client.