Camera control system

• US 7,738,011 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ito, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cutler; Albert H
• Application Number:
  US11/221,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20060061664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/211.6, 348/211.8, 348/211.9, 348/211.11, 348/211.14, 348/14.05, 348/207.11
• US Class Current: 348/211.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• 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

Abstract

A camera control system consists of a plurality of camera apparatus, camera control units coupled to the plural camera apparatus, respectively, a transmission path connected to the camera units and a base station connected to the transmission path. The base station has a database and the database is stored with setting values concerning at least photographing direction, image quality and voice quality of the plural camera apparatus and the plural camera control units in a plurality of table formats. An arbitrary camera control unit has a memory unit. A desired setting value of those stored in the database is down loaded to the memory unit on the basis of a command from the camera control unit and the setting values of the plural camera apparatus and camera control units are modified with the down loaded setting value.

Claims

1. A camera control system comprising:

a plurality of camera apparatus each including at least a camera unit;

camera control units being coupled to said plurality of camera apparatus by cables, respectively, including a memory unit storing setting values of the camera control unit and of an associated camera apparatus, a signal adjuster adjusting video and voice signals fetched from the camera apparatus with the setting value and outputting the adjusted video and voice signals, a video encoder for digitizing an image from the adjusted video signal, a character generator converting the setting value into a predetermined character, a mixer outputting the adjusted video signal overlapped with characters from the character generator, a CPU controlling the camera apparatus with the setting value remotely, an operation unit comprised of switches for user operation, a camera setting condition acquiring unit transmitting a command to the camera apparatus and reading the setting value set in the camera apparatus via a camera I/F, a camera setting unit supplying a setting value to the camera apparatus via the camera I/F, and a power supply feeding electric power to the camera apparatus;

at least one base station including a database for storing the setting values concerning at least video quality of said plurality of camera apparatus and corresponding said camera control units and a chromatic correction value, together with images picked up by the camera apparatus and digitized by the video encoder; and

a transmission network path for connecting the respective camera control units to said base station,

whereby on the basis of the user operation, one of the camera control units transmits a command to said database for downloading an arbitrary setting value, modifies setting values of said corresponding camera control unit with said downloaded arbitrary setting value and outputs a video signal overlapped with characters so that user knows an image and the modified setting value set to the camera control unit, a setting value registered by one of the camera control units in the database is down loaded in response to a request from another camera control unit.

2. A camera control system according to claim 1, wherein said camera control system is for use in television broadcasting stations and is accommodated in a broadcasting relay car or monitor room.

3. A camera control system according to claim 2 further comprising monitor display units connected to the output of the mixer of the individual camera control units, wherein pieces of the data stored in said database are registered in a table format in respect of individual menus of plural processing functions, an arbitrary camera control unit is so constructed as responding to the user operation to be able to select a desired menu of said plurality of processing functions and said monitor display unit is so constructed as to display the selected menu.

4. A camera control system according to claim 3, wherein said camera control unit is so constructed as to respond to the user operation to display registration data related to said selected and displayed menu on said monitor display unit.

5. A camera control system according to claim 4, wherein the data registered in said database include a sample image, data for identifying the sample image and parameters of the camera control unit and camera apparatus when said sample image is picked up.

6. A camera control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of camera apparatus has a microphone and a pan and tilt head and said database is registered with, in addition to the setting value concerning the image quality, setting values concerning photographing direction and voice quality.

7. A camera control system accordingly to claim 1, comprising:

a terminal unit provided with a display unit in said base station;

wherein said terminal unit of said base station is so constructed as to access said database in response to an operation by an operator of said terminal unit and display registered setting values and a registered image on said display unit of said terminal unit in a modifiable fashion.

8. A camera control system according to claim 7, wherein said terminal unit displays an image of modification object and an image of comparison object based on said registered image with setting values related to said displayed image in a modifiable fashion, whereby the image of comparison object is interlocked with the modifying setting value and transmits the setting values modified by said operator to said camera control unit.

9. A camera control system according to claim 7, wherein data stored in said database are registered in a table format in respect of individual menus of plural processing functions.

10. A camera control system according to claim 9 further comprising monitors connected to the individual camera control units, wherein an arbitrary camera control unit is so constructed as responding to a command by an operator of said camera control unit to be able to select a desired menu of said plural processing functions and said monitor is so constructed as to display the selected menu.

11. A camera control system according to claim 10, wherein said camera control unit is so constructed as to respond to a command by said operator to display registration data related to said selected and displayed menu on said monitor.

12. A camera control system according to claim 11, wherein data registered in said database include a sample image, data for identifying said sample image and parameters of the camera control unit and camera apparatus when said sample image is picked up.