Camera management device and network camera system

• US 8,823,817 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Asahi, Takeshi, Oku, Masuo, Mizushima, Nagamasa, Yokoi, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US13/204,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.5, 348/211.6
• US Class Current: 348/211.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

The present invention is based upon a camera management device coupled to a network camera via a network and the camera management device is provided with an image receiving unit that receives image data projected by the network camera and including control information for controlling the network camera from the network camera, a control information extracting unit that extracts the control information from the image data received by the image receiving unit and a control transmitting unit that transmits a control command according to the control information to the network camera via the network.

Claims

1. A camera management device coupled to a network camera via a network, comprising:

an image receiving unit that receives image data projected by the network camera and including control information for controlling the network camera from the network camera;

a control information extracting unit that extracts the control information from the image data received by the image receiving unit;

a mode storage that stores a state of a control mode which is a mode for controlling the operation of the camera management device;

a control transmitting unit that transmits a control command according to the control information to the network camera via the network when the control mode is on;

an upper limit frequency storage that records an upper limit frequency by which the control command is transmitted;

a frequency storage that stores a frequency by which the control command is transmitted after the control mode is turned on; and

an authenticating unit determines whether or not a frequency by which the control command is transmitted exceeds the upper limit frequency and turns off the control mode when the authenticating unit determines that the frequency by which the control command is transmitted exceeds the upper limit frequency.

2. The camera management device according to claim 1,

wherein the control transmitting unit transmits the control command for ringing a sound to the network camera when the control transmitting unit transmits the control command to the network camera.

3. A network camera system in which a network camera and a camera management device that manages the network camera are coupled via a network,

wherein the camera management device is provided with:

an image receiving unit that receives image data projected by the network camera and including control information for controlling the network camera from the network camera;

a control information extracting unit that extracts the control information from the image data received by the image receiving unit;

a mode storage that stores a state of a control mode which is a mode for controlling the operation of the camera management device;

a control transmitting unit that transmits a control command according to the control information to the network camera via the network when the control mode is on;

an upper limit frequency storage that records an upper limit frequency by which the control command is transmitted;

a frequency storage that stores a frequency by which the control command is transmitted after the control mode is turned on;

an authenticating unit determines whether or not a frequency by which the control command is transmitted exceeds the upper limit frequency and turns off the control mode when the authenticating unit determines that the frequency by which the control command is transmitted exceeds the upper limit frequency; and

the network camera is provided with;

a projecting unit that projects a device for displaying image object information which includes the control information and which is information to be projected;

an image distributing unit that transmits the image object information projected by the projecting unit to the camera management device as the image data;

a control receiving unit that receives the control command from the camera management device; and

a controlled unit that controls the network camera according to the control command received by the control receiving unit.

4. The network camera system according to claim 3 wherein in the network camera, the projecting unit projects image object information including the control information printed on a predetermined medium.

5. A camera management device coupled to a network camera via a network, comprising:

an image receiving unit that receives image data that includes key information for verifying whether or not a device for displaying control information projected by the network camera for controlling the network camera and image object information projected by the network camera which is information to be projected by the network camera is a legal device from the network camera;

a control information extracting unit that extracts the control information and the key information from the image data received by the image receiving unit;

an authenticating unit that verifies whether or not the device is a legal device based on the key information; and

a control transmitting unit that transmits the control command to the network camera via the network when the verification succeeds by the authenticating unit.