Moving picture recording and sending device having zoom processing capability

• US 7,672,569 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2003
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Naoki, Horiuchi, Tadasu, Komi, Hironori, Nishimura, Ryuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao; Daquan
• Application Number:
  US10/412,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20040105653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 386/33, 386/1, 386/98, 386108-109, 386111-112, 386/46, 386/52, 386/95, 348/14.12, 348/723
• US Class Current: 386/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

To mix video signals of plural channels in time division and record these video signals onto a recording medium, as well as to select and transmit the video signal of a specific channel to a terminal device at a remote location, there is a video signal switching unit for mixing the video signals of the plural channels in time division; a first video signal compressing unit for compressing the mixed video signals from the video signal switching unit; a unit for recording the video signal compressed by the first video signal compressing unit into the recording medium; second video signal compressing units for selecting a channel from the mixed video signals and compressing the video signals with a compressibility higher than that of the first video signal compressing unit; and a unit for transmitting the video signal compressed by the second video signal compressing unit to a remote location.

Claims

1. A video signal recording transmitter comprising:

an input unit for inputting video signals of plural channels;

a video signal input switching unit for switching and outputting the video signals of said plural channels in time division;

a first video signal compressing unit for compressing an output from the video signal input switching unit;

a recording unit for recording an output signal from the first video signal compressing unit to a recording medium;

a second video signal compressing unit for compressing an output from said video signal input switching unit with a high compressibility in comparison with said first video signal compressing unit;

a communication unit for transmitting an output signal from the second video signal compressing unit to another device;

a channel selecting control unit for controlling the operation of said second video signal compressing unit so as to selectively compress a specific channel included in the output of said video signal input switching unit;

a unit for receiving a zoom processing assigning signal from a monitoring device; and

a zoom processing circuit for enlarging and processing a predetermined portion of an image in accordance with the zoom processing assigning signal,

wherein the video signal which is input to the second video signal compressing unit is input to the second video signal compressing unit after going through the zoom processing unit, and the video signal which is input to the first video signal compressing unit is input to the first video signal compressing unit directly,

wherein the second video signal compressing unit processing is performed after the predetermined portion of the image is enlarged and processed on the basis of the zoom processing assigning signal; and

wherein video signals for zoom processing are automatically selected and processed by the zoom processing circuit without user input.

2. A monitoring system for connecting plural camera devices and a video signal recording transmitter through a LAN, and connecting this video signal recording transmitter and a monitoring device provided at a remote location through a communication unit, and characterized in that

said camera devices have a first video signal compressing unit for compressing an image pickup signal and a LAN interface, and

said video signal recording transmitter has:

an assigning channel extracting circuit for switching and outputting video signal inputs from said plural camera devices in time division, and for extracting a channel assigned on the basis of a channel assigning signal received from said monitoring device;

a video signal decoding unit for decoding a compression video signal of an assigned channel received from the assigning channel extracting circuit;

a recording unit for recording the video signal switched and outputted from said assigning channel extracting circuit in time division to a recording medium;

a second video signal compressing unit for compressing an output from said video signal decoding unit with a high compressibility in comparison with said first video signal compressing unit;

a communication unit for transmitting an output signal from the second video signal compressing unit to another device;

a unit for receiving a zoom processing assigning signal from a monitoring device; and

a zoom processing circuit for enlarging and processing a predetermined portion of an image in accordance with the zoom processing assigning signal,

wherein the video signal which is input to the second video signal compressing unit is input to the second video signal compressing unit after going through the zoom processing unit, and the video signal which is input to the first video signal compressing unit is input to the first video signal compressing unit directly,

wherein the second video signal compressing unit processing is performed after the predetermined portion of the image is enlarged and processed on the basis of the zoom processing assigning signal; and

wherein video signals for zoom processing are automatically selected and processed by the zoom processing circuit without user input.

3. A monitoring system for connecting plural camera devices and a video signal recording transmitter through a LAN, and for connecting this video signal recording transmitter and a monitoring device provided at a remote location through a communication unit, and characterized in that

said camera devices have a first video signal compressing unit for compressing an image pickup signal to provide a first compressed video signal, a second video signal compressing unit for compressing said image pickup signal with a high compressibility in comparison with said first video signal compressing unit to provide a second compressed video signal, and a LAN interface, and

said video signal recording transmitter has:

an assigning channel extracting circuit for switching and outputting video signal inputs from said plural camera devices in time division, and for extracting a channel assigned on the basis of a channel assigning signal received from said monitoring device;

a recording unit for recording the video signal switched and outputted from said assigning channel extracting circuit in time division to a recording medium;

a communication unit for transmitting a second compressed video signal, which is compressed with a high compressibility in comparison with said first compressed video signal, from said camera device to another device;

a unit for receiving a zoom processing assigning signal from a monitoring device; and

a zoom processing circuit for enlarging and processing a predetermined portion of an image in accordance with the zoom processing assigning signal,

wherein the video signal which is input to the second video signal compressing unit is input to the second video signal compressing unit after going through the zoom processing unit, and the video signal which is input to the first video signal compressing unit is input to the first video signal compressing unit directly,

wherein the second video signal compressing unit processing is performed after the predetermined portion of the image is enlarged and processed on the basis of the zoom processing assigning signal; and

wherein video signals for zoom processing are automatically selected and processed by the zoom processing circuit without user input.