Camera unit and camera unit control method capable of avoiding confusion when operated by a plurality of users

• US 7,562,381 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Koga, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco; John M
• Application Number:
  US10/566,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/211.5, 348/211.7, 348/211.8, 348/211.11, 725/105
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

The invention, receiving a camera operation screen request from a client terminal, determines a code to be transmitted to the client terminal and transmits the code to the client terminal together with camera operation screen information, registers to a memory a code attached to a drive request signal transmitted from the client terminal, and, receiving a drive request signal from a client terminal, controls the camera in accordance with the signal in case a code matching a registered code is included, and rejects the drive request in case a code matching the registered code is not included. With this configuration, when a plurality of users operate a common camera unit via a network, a code determined by the camera unit is returned from a client terminal and the client terminal is identified based on whether the code is matching. This eliminates the needs for issuing a special id for identifying a client terminal and allows easy operation anywhere from the network by using a general-purpose browser.

Claims

1. A camera unit which takes a picture of a subject and transfers a image data to a client terminal, wherein:

the camera unit, when a first signal is received from the client terminal, transmits an identification-information to the client terminal; and

the camera unit, when a second signal including the identification information is received from the client terminal, works in accordance with the second signal on a priority basis for a predetermined period after receiving the second signal.

2. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the first signal is an access signal transmitted from the client terminal to the camera unit; and

the second signal is a camera operation signal transmitted from the client terminal to the camera unit.

3. The camera unit according to claim 2, wherein:

the camera operation signal includes a signal for rotating an imaging section.

4. The camera unit according to claim 2, wherein:

the camera unit, when an access signal is transmitted from the client terminal, provides a link to the URL of an image in order to display the camera-shot image in the screen format, displays a camera operation button on the screen of a destination client terminal, generates camera operation screen information describing that an imaging section drive request signal including identification information is transmitted to the camera unit by the operation of the camera operation button; and

transmits the camera operation screen information to the client terminal.

5. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the identification information is a system-clock obtained by counting clock signals of the camera unit.

6. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the camera unit, when the second signal is received from the client terminal, registers identification information attached to the second signal to a memory as well as controls the imaging section in accordance with the second signal in case such that the camera unit is not operating; and

the camera unit does not work in accordance with the second signal in case such that the identification information registered to the memory does not match the identification information attached to the second signal received from the client terminal for a predetermined period afterwards.

7. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined period is a period from when the camera unit starts operation in accordance with the second signal to when the operation is complete.

8. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined period is a period from receiving the second signal to which identification information is attached to when a signal including the identification information is not received for a predetermined time.

9. A camera unit which takes picture of a subject and transfers the image data, the camera unit comprising:

an imaging section;

an image generator, converting an image shot with the imaging section to an image data;

an identification information determiner that determines identification information in response to an access signal from a client terminal via a network;

a camera operation screen generator that generates camera operation screen information including the identification information for operation on the client terminal;

an imaging section controller that controls the shooting direction of the imaging section;

a network server that receives the access signal via the network, and transmits the image data generated by the image generator and the camera operation screen information to the client terminal via the network;

a registered that registers to a memory the identification information attached to a first camera operation signal transmitted from the client terminal; and

a determiner which, when a second camera operation signal is received, determines whether the identification information registered in the memory is included in the second camera operation signal, and instructs the imaging controller to start operation in accordance with the second camera operation signal in case the identification information registered in the memory is included in the second camera operation signal, and rejects the second camera operation signal in case the identification information registered in the memory is not included in the second camera operation signal.

10. The camera unit according to claim 9, wherein the identification information is a system clock obtained by counting clock signals of the camera unit.

11. A camera unit control method, the method capable of driving an imaging section by way of a signal from a client terminal, the method comprising:

when a first signal is received from the client terminal, determining identification information to be transmitted to the client terminal and transmitting the identification information to the client terminal together with camera operation screen information; and

when a second signal to which the identification information is attached is received from the client terminal, the camera unit control method operates exclusively in accordance with the second signal on a priority basis for a predetermined period after receipt of the second signal.

12. The camera unit control method according to claim 11, wherein:

an exclusive operation state exists while the camera unit control method is operating in accordance with the second signal from the client terminal; and

the camera unit control method further comprises registering to a memory the identification information attached to the second signal received from the client terminal in the exclusive operation state.

13. The camera unit control method according to claim 11, wherein:

in response to an operation stop request signal to which identification information is attached from the client terminal in the exclusive operation state, the camera unit control method further comprises checking whether the identification information attached to the operation stop request signal is registered to the memory, and stopping operation in accordance with the operation stop request signal only in case there is a match.

14. A camera unit control method, the method capable of driving an imaging section, the method comprising:

when a camera operation screen request signal is received from the client terminal, determining an identification information to be transmitted to the client terminal and transmitting the identification information to the client terminal together with camera operation screen information,

when a first camera operation signal to which identification information is attached is received from the client terminal, registers the identification information to a memory and starts operation in accordance with the first camera operation signal, and

when a second camera operation signal to which identification information is attached is received from the client terminal, the camera unit control method operates in accordance with the second camera operation signal in case the identification information attached to the second camera operation signal is registered to the memory and rejects the second camera operation signal in case the identification information attached to the second camera operation signal is not registered to the memory.

15. The camera unit control method according to claim 14, wherein:

an exclusive operation state exists while the camera unit control method is operating in accordance with an operation start request signal received from a client terminal,

the camera unit control method further comprises checking whether a code extracted from an operation stop request signal matches a code registered to the memory and stopping operation in accordance with the operation stop request signal in case there is a match, and on completion of the exclusive operation state, registering to the memory code information extracted from a second operation start request signal from a client terminal, and the camera unit control method operating in accordance with the second operation start request signal.

16. The camera unit control method according to claim 14, wherein:

the first camera operation signal and the second camera operation signal include a clockwise rotation request, a counterclockwise rotation request, a downward rotation request, an upward rotation request, a zoom-in request, a zoom-out request, a focus-near request, and a focus-far request.

17. A control method for a camera unit, the camera unit comprising a drive section for operating an imaging section and the shooting direction of the imaging section, the camera unit capable of driving the imaging section, wherein a code determiner, in response to a camera operation screen request issued by a first client terminal, determines “

Code 1” and

transmits, to the first client terminal, camera operation screen information to which the “

Code 1”

, is attached, and the code determiner, in response to a camera operation screen request issued by a second client terminal, determines “

Code 2” and

transmits, to the second client terminal, camera operation screen information to which the “

Code 2”

is attached, the method comprising;

in response to a first camera operation signal to which “

Code 1”

is attached transmitted from the first client terminal, setting the first client terminal to the exclusive operation state and registering the “

Code 1”

to a memory and starting operation in accordance with the first camera operation signal, and

in response to a camera operation signal to which code information is attached from a client terminal which is placed in the exclusive operation state, checking whether the code information attached to the second camera operation signal matches the “

Code 1”

registered to the memory and the control method for a camera unit operating in accordance with the second camera operation signal only in case there is a match.

18. The camera unit according to claim 17, wherein the code is time information.

19. A camera unit which receives a camera operation screen request signal from a client terminal, and determines a code to be transmitted to the client terminal and transmits the code to the client terminal together with camera operation screen information, which,

when a first camera operation signal to which the code is attached is received from the client terminal, operates in accordance with the first camera operation signal as well as registers to a memory the code transmitted together with the first camera operation signal, and which,

when a second camera operation signal is received within a predetermined period, determines whether a code attached to the second camera operation screen signal matches the code registered to the memory and rejects the second camera operation signal when the code attached to the second camera operation signal does not match the code registered to the memory.

20. The camera unit according to claim 19, wherein the predetermined period is a period to completion of driving an imaging section in accordance with the first camera operation signal.

21. The camera unit according to claim 19, wherein the predetermined period is a period until when it is determined that a signal including the code is not received for a predetermined time.

22. The camera unit according to claim 19, wherein the camera unit transmits to the client terminal a request format including the code and used to signal from the client terminal.

23. The camera unit according to claim 22, wherein the request format is the cgi format.

24. A camera unit which shoots a subject and transfers the image data, the camera unit comprising:

an imaging section;

a driver that drives the imaging section;

an image section controller that is operable to drive the drive section in accordance with a signal from a client terminal;

an image generator that converts an image shot with the imaging section to image data;

a code determiner that determines a code in response to an access signal from the client terminal via a network;

a camera operation screen generator that generates camera operation screen information for operation on a client;

a network server, that receives the access signal via the network, and transmits the image data generated by the image generator and the camera operation screen information to the client terminal via the network;

a code registered that registers to a memory a code attached to a first camera operation signal received from the client terminal;

an operation request determiner which, when a second camera operation signal is received while the imaging section controller is operating in accordance with the first camera operation signal from the client terminal, determines whether the code registered to the memory is included in the second camera operation signal; and

a controller that, when the operation request determiner determines that the same code registered to the memory is included in the second camera operation signal, operates in accordance with the signal and rejects the second camera operation signal in case the operation request determiner determines that the code registered to the memory is included in the second camera operation signal.

25. The camera unit according to claim 24, wherein:

the camera operation screen generator generates a request format including the code determined by the code determiner, the request format activating the operation request determiner, and wherein the network server transmits the request format to the client terminal.