Camera system, signal delay amount adjusting method and program

• US 8,817,117 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroaki, Tsubaki, Satoshi, Munakata, Tamotsu, Itakura, Eisaburo, Murayama, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): AGGARWAL, YOGESH K
• Application Number:
  US13/266,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20120098980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/262, 34821111-21114, 709/203, 709/204, 370/259, 370/260
• US Class Current: 348/211.11
• 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 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A camera system having a plurality of camera pairs is provided. Each pair may have a camera control unit and a camera head unit respectively connected together by way of an asynchronous transmission network. The camera system may also have a central processing unit configured to obtain a video signal delay amount, representative of a time delay between a respective camera control unit and its respective camera head unit, for each of the plurality of camera pairs, and to adjust the video signal delay amount between at least one said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit to be equal to a selected video signal delay amount of another said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit.

Claims

1. A camera system comprising:

a plurality of camera pairs each pair having a camera control unit and a camera head unit respectively connected together by way of an asynchronous transmission network; and

a central processing unit configured to obtain a video signal delay amount, representative of a time delay between a respective camera control unit and its respective camera head unit, for each of the plurality of camera pairs, and to adjust the video signal delay amount between at least one said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit to be equal to a selected video signal delay amount of another said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit

in which each said camera head unit has a video buffer and the adjustment of the video signal delay amount is implemented by adjusting the video buffer in said at least one camera head unit so as to correspond to the selected video signal delay amount.

2. The camera system of claim 1, further comprising a master device arranged so as to be in communication with the plurality of camera pairs, and in which the central processing unit is arranged in the master device.

3. The camera system of claim 1, in which the central processing unit is arranged in one of the camera control units.

4. The camera system of claim 1, in which the selected video signal delay amount is a largest video signal delay amount among the video signal delay amounts of the plurality of camera pairs.

5. The camera system of claim 4, in which the selected video signal delay amount does not exceed a predetermined allowable time.

6. The camera system of claim 5, in which when the largest video signal delay amount exceeds the predetermined allowable time, the selected video signal delay amount is a next largest video signal delay amount not exceeding the predetermined allowable time among the video signal delay amounts of the plurality of camera pairs.

7. The camera system of claim 1, in which the central processing unit adjusts the video signal delay amount associated with the camera pairs such that the video signal delay amount for each of the camera pairs is equal to the selected video signal delay amount.

8. A signal delay amount adjustment method comprising:

obtaining a video signal delay amount for each of a plurality of camera control units respectively connected to a plurality of camera head units via an asynchronous transmission network, such that each camera control unit is connected to a respective camera head unit via the asynchronous transmission network, in which a respective video signal time delay is representative of a time delay between a respective camera control unit and its respective camera head unit; and

adjusting the video signal delay amount between one said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit to be equal to a selected video signal delay amount of another said camera control unit and its respective camera head unit

in which each said camera head unit has a video buffer and the adjusting of the video signal delay amount is implemented by adjusting the video buffer in said at least one camera head unit so as to correspond to the selected video signal delay amount.

9. A video camera system comprising:

a plurality of camera pairs each having a camera control unit and a camera head unit connected via an asynchronous transmission network, in which each said camera head unit has a video buffer; and

a central processing unit configured;

to obtain a signal delay time for each of the plurality of camera pairs so as to obtain a plurality of signal delay times;

to select a largest signal delay time from the plurality of signal delay times;

to determine if the largest signal delay time exceeds a predetermined allowable time;

to obtain a video buffer size that corresponds to the largest signal delay time, when a determination result indicates that the largest signal delay time does not exceed the predetermined allowable time; and

to adjust a size of the video buffer of at least one of the camera head units to the obtained video buffer size.

10. A camera control unit, comprising:

a network interface that enables communication to a corresponding camera head unit via an asynchronous transmission network, in which the camera control unit and the corresponding camera head unit form a camera pair and in which the network interface also enables communication with a number of other camera pairs via the asynchronous transmission network, each of the number of other camera pairs having a respective camera control unit in communication with its camera head unit; and

a central processing unit configured;

to obtain video signal delay amounts representative of respective time delays of the camera pair and each of the number of other camera pairs, each time delay being indicative of the time delay between a respective camera control unit and its corresponding camera head unit; and

to adjust a video signal delay amount for at least one pair of the number of other camera pairs and the camera pair to be equal to a selected one of the obtained video signal delay amounts

in which each said camera head unit has a video buffer and the adjustment of the video signal delay amount is implemented by adjusting the video buffer in said at least one camera head unit so as to correspond to the selected video signal delay amount.