Production system, control area for a production system and image capturing system for a production system

• US 7,391,440 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Stekelenburg, Mike, Rooy, Jan Van, Damstra, Nicolaas Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dillon; Durnford-Geszvain
• Application Number:
  US10/341,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.4, 348/229.1, 348/722
• US Class Current: 348/211.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

An advantageous production system comprises at least a camera producing a raw digital signal and a processing circuit for generating a processed video signal from the raw digital signal. In a control area, at least a camera control interface is able to set at least a parameter in the processing circuit. The processing circuit is located in the control area. An image capturing system for such a production system is also presented.

Claims

1. A production system comprising:

at least a camera producing a raw digital signal;

a processing circuit for generating a processed video signal from the raw digital signal;

a control area with at least a camera control interface for setting at least a parameter in both the camera and in the processing circuit;

wherein the camera and the control area are linked via a communication channel with noticeable latency;

wherein the processing circuit is located in the control area;

wherein the processing circuit is adapted to perform an operation corresponding to a parameter change in the camera; and

wherein the processing circuit performs the operation corresponding to a parameter change in the camera until images captured by the camera under the changed parameter are available at the control area.

2. Production system according to claim 1, wherein the communication channel is liable to a delay of 100 ms or more.

3. Production system according to claim 1, wherein a requested change in a parameter of the camera causes a corresponding operation in the processing circuit until raw video signal for which the change in the parameter of the camera has been effected is received in the control area.

4. Production system according to claim 3, wherein, in a transition period, the combined effects of performing a requested change in a parameter of the camera in the processing circuit and changing the parameter in the camera produce a perceived constant effect.

5. Production system according to claim 1, wherein the camera has an iris and means for transmitting information indicative of the iris aperture as metadata to the raw digital signal.

6. Production system according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding operations in the processing circuit and the camera are defined in a look-up table.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein, in a transition period, the combined effects of performing a requested change in a parameter of the camera in the processing circuit and changing the parameter in the camera produce a perceived constant effect.

12. The Production system of claim 1, wherein the camera and the processing circuit are linked via a remote communication channel.

8. A Control area for a production system comprising:

means for receiving a raw digital signal generated by a camera located remote from the control area, the camera and the control area being coupled by a communication channel that is subject to latency;

a processing circuit for generating a processed video signal from the raw digital signal;

a camera control interface for setting at least a parameter in both the camera and in the processing circuit in parallel and controlling the processing circuit to perform an operation corresponding to setting the parameter in the camera, wherein data related to said parameter is added to a video representative signal formed by said camera, and wherein the processing circuit receives the video signal and the data from the camera;

wherein the processing circuit performs the operation corresponding to a parameter change in the camera until images captured by the camera under the changed parameters are available at the control area.

9. Control area according to claim 8, with means for receiving information indicative of the aperture of an iris of the camera as metadata to the raw digital signal.

10. Control area according to claim 9, wherein the camera control interface comprises Camera controls generating at least a luminance information and means for setting a gain parameter in the processing circuit based on the luminance information and on the information indicative of the aperture of the iris of the camera.

11. Control area according to claim 8, with means for receiving a processed signal generated by a further camera.

13. A method for camera system control, comprising:

a camera control providing control information for controlling a video parameter to both a remote camera head and a video processing circuit in a local base station in parallel, wherein the remote camera head and the video processing circuit are interconnected and subject to significant latency;

smoothly changing said control of said video parameter;

embedding data related to said video parameter in a video representative signal from said camera head; and

varying said video parameter in both said camera head and said interconnected video processing circuit in said local base station in accordance with said data embedded in said video representative signal to generate an output video signal concurrently and in accordance with said smooth change.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said varying step includes adaptively controlling said video parameter in said video processing circuit in said local base station to obviate control latency of said camera head in said output video signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said controlling step comprises communicating bi-directionally between said interconnected camera head and said video processing circuit in said local base station.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said controlling step comprises communicating hi-directionally between said camera head and said video processing circuit in said local base station with said bi-directional communications having different latency.

17. Method according to claim 13, wherein, in a transition period, the combined effects of performing a requested change in a parameter of the camera in the processing circuit and changing the parameter in the camera produce a perceived constant effect.

18. A method for camera control, comprising:

forming a video parameter control signal at a first location, the video parameter control signal corresponding to a video parametor that is modified with respect to a video parameter currently applied in a camera at a second location;

applying said video parameter control signal to a video processing circuit at said first location and in parallel thereto;

coupling and applying said video parameter control signal to the camera at the second location wherein said coupling is subject to latency; and

adding, using the camera, data related to said video parameter to a video representative signal formed by said camera;

receiving, using the video processing circuit, the video signal and the data from the camera;

controlling, using the video parameter control signal, in the processing circuit at the first location, video processing operations corresponding to the modified video parameter until images captured by the camera under the modified video parameters are available at the first location.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising the step of controlling said video parameter in the processing circuit in accordance with said data added to said video representative signal formed by said camera.