Connection setting method, camera system, and recording medium

• US 8,826,353 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Velez, Roberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Segura, Cynthia
• Application Number:
  US13/164,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20110317021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 725/105
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A connection setting method, used in a camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network in order to connect the camera control unit includes: measuring delay of image data from the camera head unit to be connected; and determining a transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit to be connected. The determining is so carried out that when the delay is greater than a threshold corresponding to the amount of data smaller than or equal to a maximum amount of transmission over the network, the sum of the transmission rates at which image data transmitted over the network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission over the network and image data having a higher preset priority is transmitted at a higher transmission rate.

Claims

1. A camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network,

wherein the camera head unit includes

an image capturing section that acquires image data,

an encoding section that encodes the image data at a predetermined compression rate, and

a transmitting section that transmits the encoded image data to the camera control unit at a Mbps transmission rate,

the camera control unit includes

a transmission rate determining section that measures delay of test image data transmitted from the camera head unit and determines the Mbps transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head unit, and

the transmission rate is determined by reducing the bps transmission rate of the camera head unit if the measured delay exceeds a threshold, said threshold corresponding to a predetermined throughput of said transmission network, and repeatedly measuring the delay of transmitted test data and reducing the transmission rate of the camera head unit until the measured delay is less than said threshold.

2. The camera system according to claim 1, further comprising

a compression rate determining section that calculates a compression rate at which image data captured with the camera head unit is compressed in accordance with the determined transmission rate and notifies the camera head unit of the calculated compression rate.

3. A non-transitory recording medium used in a camera system in which at least one camera head unit is connected to at least one camera control unit that controls the camera head unit via a single transmission network, the at least one camera head unit exhibiting priorities and a determinable M bps transmission rate,

wherein the recording medium stores

identifiers that allow the camera head unit and the camera control unit to identify respective connection counterparts, and

priorities for determining the Mbps transmission rate at which image data is transmitted from the camera head units, and

the transmission rate is so determined that when delay of test image data transmitted from a camera head unit to the camera control unit is greater than a threshold, the transmission rate is determined by reducing the Mbps transsmission rate of the camera head unit in steps until the delay is less than said threshold, said threshold corresponding to a predetermined throughput of said transmission network, whereby the sum of the Mbps transmission rates at which image data is transmitted over the transmission network is smaller than or equal to the maximum amount of transmission permitted over the transmission network, and such that the Mbps transmission rate becomes higher in accordance with the priorities of the camera head units.

4. A connection setting method to set Mbps transmission rates of plural camera head units connected to at least one camera control unit via a single transmission network in a camera system, wherein said camera head units are operable to capture image data and exhibit different priorities, said method comprising:

transmitting test data from said camera head units to at least one camera control unit;

measuring delay of said test data from a respective camera head units;

reducing the Mbps transmission rate of the camera head unit having the lowest priority if the measured delay exceeds a threshold, said threshold corresponding to a predetermined throughput of said transmission network;

repeating, at a first repetition rate, said the steps of transmitting test data, measuring delay and reducing the transmission rate of the camera head unit having the lowest priority;

reducing the Mbps transmission rate of the camera head unit having a next higher priority if the measured delay still exceeds said threshold;

repeating, at a second repetition rate, said steps of transmitting said test data, measuring delay and reducing the transmission rate of the camera head unit having the next higher priority, said first repetition rate being greater than said second repetition rate; and

ceasing the reduction of the Mbps transmission rate of the camera head units when said measured delay is less than said threshold.

5. The connection setting method according to claim 4, further comprising

calculating a compression rate at which image data captured with a camera head unit is compressed in accordance with the transmission rate of that camera head unit and notifying that camera head unit of the calculated compression rate.

6. The connection setting method according to claim 4, further comprising

measuring communication delay produced in association with a camera head unit and adjusting the delay of image data based on the communication delay on a frame basis.

7. The connection setting method according to claim 4, further comprising

notifying a user that a connection path to a camera head unit via the transmission network differs from a preset connection path.