Camera system, camera control method and program

• US 7,375,744 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannett; James M.
• Application Number:
  US10/944,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 348/211.11, 348/211.13
• US Class Current: 348/211.99
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1961 Movement detection not involving frame subtraction, e.g. motion detection on the basis of luminance changes in the image
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19643 wherein the cameras play different roles, e.g. different resolution, different camera type, master-slave camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A camera system for capturing an image of a predetermined scope, having a plurality of monitoring cameras operable to change a monitoring area respectively, comprises a camera controller, when changing its monitoring area of one of the monitoring cameras, operable to control the other monitoring cameras to monitor a dead area that is outside of the monitoring area of the monitoring camera. When the camera controller controls the monitoring camera to zoom into a subject, the camera controller may control the other monitoring cameras to monitor the dead area of the monitoring area by zooming out the subject.

Claims

1. A camera system for capturing an image of a predetermined scope, having a plurality of monitoring cameras operable to change monitoring areas respectively, comprising:

a camera controller, wherein when changing a monitoring area of one of the monitoring cameras, said camera controller controls the other monitoring cameras to monitor a dead area that is outside of the monitoring area of the one of the monitoring cameras,

wherein when a subject enters the monitoring area of any of the plurality of monitoring cameras, said camera controller controls a selected one of the monitoring cameras, which is monitoring a monitoring area into which the subject has entered into, to zoom into the subject, and said camera controller controls the other non-selected monitoring cameras to monitor the dead area by zooming out the subject.

2. The camera system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said camera controller regards recognition of a new subject as a trigger, and controls the monitoring camera to zoom into the new subject.

3. The camera system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said camera controller adjusts both an exposure of one monitoring camera and an exposure of the other monitoring cameras differently when a region of which luminance is beyond a dynamic range of the monitoring cameras is larger than a predetermined area in the predetermined scope.

4. The camera system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said camera controller adjusts the exposure of the monitoring camera in accordance with a high luminance region, of which average luminance is the highest in the predetermined scope, and adjusts the exposures of the other monitoring cameras in accordance with a region except the high luminance region in the predetermined scope.

5. The camera system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said camera controller adjusts each of focuses of the monitoring camera and the other monitoring cameras in accordance with the regions captured with the adjusted exposures, respectively.

6. A camera control method for monitoring a predetermined scope by a plurality of monitoring cameras operable to change monitoring areas respectively, comprising a step of:

when changing a monitoring area of one of the monitoring cameras, controlling the other monitoring cameras to monitor a dead area that is outside of the monitoring area of the one of the monitoring cameras,

wherein when a subject enters the monitoring area of any of the plurality of monitoring cameras, said camera controller controls a selected one of the monitoring cameras, which is monitoring a monitoring area into which the subject has entered into, to zoom into the subject, and said camera controller controls the other non-selected monitoring cameras to monitor the dead area by zooming out the subject.

7. A computer program medium storing thereon a program for a camera system in order to monitor a predetermined scope by a plurality of monitoring cameras operable to change monitoring areas respectively, the program comprising:

a camera controlling module, wherein when changing its monitoring area of one of the monitoring cameras, said camera controlling module controls the other monitoring cameras to monitor a dead area that is outside of the monitoring area of the one of the monitoring cameras,

wherein when a subject enters the monitoring area of any of the plurality of monitoring cameras, said camera controller controls a selected one of the monitoring cameras, which is monitoring a monitoring area into which the subject has entered into, to zoom into the subject, and said camera controller controls the other non-selected monitoring cameras to monitor the dead area by zooming out the subject.