Video system for use with video telephone and video conferencing

• US 7,298,400 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Tomishige
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez; Nelson D.
• Application Number:
  US10/693,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20040150725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 348/333.04, 348/333.05, 348/14.01, 348/14.03, 348/14.07, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 348/14.14, 348/143, 348/239, 348/218.1, 348/211.14, 348/211.13, 348/211.12, 348/211.9, 348/211.8, 348/211.4, 348/211.3, 348/211.1, 348/14.05, 348/14.04, 348/14.02, 358/906
• US Class Current: 348/211.8
• 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 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

This invention provides a video system including an image pickup device for converting an optical image into a video signal, an image pickup direction changing device for changing the image pickup direction of the image pickup device, an image display device for displaying the video signal output from the image pickup device, and a function display device for displaying function information of the image pickup device.

Claims

1. A video system comprising:

an image pickup control device that controls an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

a display control device that displays an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

a range setting device that sets a desired image portion of the image displayed by said display control device on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said image pickup control device on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

an image processing device that exchanges the set desired image portion of the image displayed by said display control device, for another image.

2. A video system according to claim 1, wherein the another image is a predetermined still image.

3. A video system according to claim 1, further comprising a display device that displays the image picked up by the image pickup device,

wherein the photographable range of the image pickup operation image is larger than a range of the image to be displayed on said display device.

4. A video system according to claim 1, wherein said range setting device sets the restricted photographable range in response to designation of a corresponding portion on the image indicating the photographable range of the image pickup operation.

5. A video system comprising:

an image pickup control device that controls an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

a display control device that displays an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

a range setting device that sets a desired image portion on the image displayed by said display control device on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said image pickup control device on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

a restriction device that restricts an amount of data corresponding to the set desired image portion of the image displayed by said display control device.

6. A video system according to claim 5, further comprising a display device that displays the image picked up by the image pickup device,

wherein said restriction device restricts the amount of data in order that no image data of the image picked up by the image pickup device is output to said display device.

7. A video system according to claim 5, further comprising a display device that displays the image picked up by the image pickup device,

wherein the photographable range of the image pickup operation image is larger than a range of the image to be displayed on said display device.

8. A video system according to claim 5, wherein said range setting device sets the restricted photographable range in response to designation of a corresponding portion on the image indicating the photographable range of the image pickup operation.

9. A video system control method comprising the steps of:

controlling an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

displaying an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

setting a desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said controlling step on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

exchanging the set desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step, for another image.

10. A video system control method comprising the steps of:

controlling an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

displaying an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

setting a desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said controlling step on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

restricting an amount of data corresponding to the set desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step.

11. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer-executable program for making a computer execute a video system control method comprising the steps of:

controlling an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

displaying an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

setting a desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said controlling step on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

exchanging the set desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step, for another image.

12. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer-executable program for making a computer execute a video system control method comprising the steps of:

controlling an image pickup operation of an image pickup device;

displaying an image to indicate a photographable range of the image pickup operation of the image pickup device, on a screen;

setting a desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step on the screen, thereby setting a restricted photographable range of the image pickup operation into said controlling step on the basis of the set desired image portion; and

restricting an amount of data corresponding to the set desired image portion of the image displayed in said displaying step.