NETWORK CAMERA SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFORE

• US 20110181719A1
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitarai, Yusuke, Ohsawa, Hiroyuki, Matsugu, Masakazu, Sato, Hiroshi, Takanezawa, Tetsuhiro, Mori, Katsuhiko, Kato, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A network camera system is provided that detects an occurrence of a condition change at a periphery of an image pickup apparatus, obtains a direction of the detected condition change, and notifies a user of the occurrence of the condition change and a direction of the condition change on a display of a terminal device.

Claims

1. A network camera system which displays a partial image cut off from an image picked up by an image pickup apparatus on a terminal device via a network, the system comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect a condition change;

a display control unit configured to control a display screen of the terminal device to display a predetermined image indicating the condition change in accordance with the detection of the condition change by the detection unit; and

a changing unit configured to change a cut-off range in the image picked up by the image pickup apparatus.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the detection unit detects a first type of condition change and a second type of condition change, and the display control unit controls the display screen to display a first type of a predetermined image in accordance with the detection of the first type of condition change and to display a second type of a predetermined image in accordance with the detection of the second type of condition change.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined image is an icon having a shape that can specify a direction of the condition change.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the detection unit detects a first type of condition change based on notification of a first sensor and detects a second type of condition change based on notification of a second sensor.

5. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

a cut off unit configured to perform cut-off processing on a picked up image to acquire a partial image;

a sending unit configured to send the partial image to a terminal device via a network;

a detection unit configured to detect a condition change;

a notification unit configured to notify the terminal device of condition change information in accordance with the detection of the condition change such that a predetermined image indicating the condition change is displayed on a display screen of the terminal device; and

a changing unit configured to change a cut-off range in the picked up image.

6. A controlling method for an image pickup apparatus comprising:

a cut off step of performing cut-off processing on a picked up image to acquire a partial image;

a sending step of sending the partial image to a terminal device via a network;

a detection step of detecting a condition change;

a notification step of notifying the terminal device of condition change information in accordance with the detection of the condition change such that a predetermined image indicating the condition change is displayed on a display screen of the terminal device; and

a changing step of changing a cut-off range in the picked up image.

7. A terminal device which receives a partial image cut off from a picked up image picked up by an image pickup apparatus via a network, the terminal device comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive condition change information via the network, wherein the condition change information is sent in accordance with a detection of the condition change;

a display control unit configured to control a display screen to display a predetermined image indicating the condition change in accordance with the reception of the condition change information; and

a changing unit configured to change a cut-off range in the picked up image.

8. A controlling method of a terminal device configured to receive a partial image cut off from a picked up image picked up by an image pickup apparatus via a network, the method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving condition change information via the network, wherein the condition change information is sent in accordance with a detection of the condition change;

a display controlling step of controlling a display screen to display a predetermined image indicating the condition change in accordance with the reception of the condition change information; and

a changing step of changing a cut-off range in the picked up image.