Controller for photographing apparatus and photographing system

• US 8,594,483 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koyanagi, Masakazu, Tomitaka, Tadafusa, Iijima, Toshiyuki, Hosonuma, Naoyasu, Tamayama, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/252,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 386/224, 386/230, 386/223, 386/234, 386/278
• US Class Current: 386/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A picture photographed by a camera portion is sent to a video capturing portion of a computer. The picture is displayed in an operation, area of a monitor. A panorama picture of which pictures in part or all moving range of a pan tiler are combined is displayed in a panorama operation area. A pan tilter portion sends positional information of pan and tilt to the computer through a mode controller. With a mouse, the operation area and the panorama operation area are operated so as to select an object. The computer obtains data for driving the pan tilter. Thus, the selected object is displayed at the center of the operation area.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a display control unit controlling a display unit having a first image display area and a second image display area on one screen, the first image display area displaying a first image captured by an imaging device and the second image display area displaying a second image; and

a position detection unit detects a selected position within the first image display area;

wherein the second image is corresponding to the selected position;

wherein the second image shown in the second image display area is larger than a corresponding image section shown in the first image display area;

wherein the corresponding image section is a section within the first image corresponding to the second image.

2. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control unit controlling the display unit to display a mark on the first image,

wherein the mark indicates a position of the corresponding image section.

3. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

if a user designates an object on the first image, the display unit displays the object corresponding to a designated point at substantively a center of the second image display area.

4. A signal processing method comprising the steps of:

controlling a display unit having a first image display area and a second image display area on one screen, the first image display area displaying a first image captured by an imaging device and the second image display area displaying a second image; and

detecting a selected position within the first image display area;

wherein the second image is corresponding to the selected position;

wherein the second image shown in the second image display area is larger than a corresponding image section shown in the first image display area;

wherein the corresponding image section is a section within the first image corresponding to the second image.

5. The signal processing method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

controlling the display unit to display a mark on the first image,

wherein the mark indicates a position of the corresponding image section.

6. The signal processing method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

if a user designates an object on the first image, the display unit displays the object corresponding to a designated point at substantively a center of the second image display area.

7. A signal processing system comprising:

an imaging device;

a display control device controlling a display unit having a first image display area and a second image display area on one screen, the first image display area displaying a first image captured by the imaging device and the second image display area displaying a second image; and

a position detection device detects a selected position within the first image display area;

wherein the second image is corresponding to the selected position;

wherein the second image shown in the second image display area is larger than a corresponding image section shown in the first image display area;

wherein the corresponding image section is a section within the first image corresponding to the second image.

8. The signal processing system according to claim 7 wherein:

the display control unit controlling the display unit to display a mark on the first image,

wherein the mark indicates a position of the corresponding image section.

9. The signal processing system according to claim 7, wherein:

if a user designates an object of the first image, the display unit displays the object corresponding to a designated point at substantively a center of the second image display area.

10. A signal processing apparatus comprising:

a display control means for controlling a display unit having a first image display area and a second image display area on one screen, the first image display area displaying a first image captured by an imaging device and the second image display area displaying a second image; and

a position detection means for detecting a selected position within the first image display area;

wherein the second image is corresponding to the selection position;

wherein the second image shown in the second image display area is larger than a corresponding image section shown in the first image display area;

wherein the corresponding image section is a section within the first image corresponding to the second image.

11. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the display control means controlling the display unit to display a mark on the first image,

wherein the mark indicates a position of the corresponding image section.

12. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

if a user designates an object on the first image, the display unit displays the object corresponding to a designated point as substantively a center of the second image display area.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a program to be executed by a computer for controlling an imaging device, the program comprising the steps of:

controlling a display unit having a first image display area and a second image display area on one screen, the first image display area displaying a first image captured by an imaging device and the second image display area displaying a second image; and

detecting a selected position within the first image display area;

wherein the second image is corresponding to the selected position;

wherein the second image shown in the second image display area is larger than a corresponding image section shown in the first image display area;

wherein the corresponding image section is a section within the first image corresponding to the second image.

14. The medium according to claim 13 further comprising the step of:

controlling the display unit to display a mark on the first image,

wherein the mark indicates a position of the corresponding image section.

15. The medium according to claim 13, wherein:

if a user designates an object on the first image, the display unit displays the object corresponding to a designated point at substantively a center of the second image display area.