Apparatus and method for controlling a camera connected to a network

• US 7,219,365 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Akiba, Yoshiyuki, Yamakawa, Tadashi, Sato, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PASIEWICZ, DANIEL M
• Application Number:
  US10/310,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.05, 348/14.09, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.3, 348/211.5, 348/211.6
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A camera control apparatus provides an end user with environment to easily remote-control a video camera via a general network such as the Internet. When the camera control apparatus receives a file-transfer request described in the format of the network from an external device connected to the apparatus, it handles the characters in a character string of a file name of the request as a camera-control characters. As a result, if the character string includes a description corresponding to the format for camera control, the camera control apparatus controls the camera in accordance with the description to perform image sensing, and transfers the obtained video image as the content of an image file requested by the external device as the file-transfer request originator.

Claims

1. A control apparatus, connected to a network, for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

a reception device arranged to receive data about a character string described in a predetermined format, the character string included in a URL of a resource, via a network;

a discrimination device arranged to discriminate a control character about a type of camera control and control amount to control the electronic device from the data about the character string at a particular position of the URL received by said reception device; and

a control device arranged to control the electronic device based on a result of the discrimination by the discrimination device.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device.

3. A computer readable medium containing program codes to be read and executed by a control apparatus, comprising:

reception-process program codes of executing processing for receiving data about a character string described in a predetermined format, the character string included in a URL of a resource, via a network,

discrimination-process program codes of executing processing for discriminating a control character about a type of camera control and control amount to control an electronic device from the data about the character string at a particular position of the URL; and

control-process program codes of executing processing for controlling the electronic device based on a result of the discrimination-process.

4. The computer readable medium according to claim 3, wherein the control-process program codes of executing processing for controlling at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device.

5. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

receiving data about a character string described in a predetermined format, the character string included in a URL of a resource, via a network;

discriminating a control character about a type of camera control and amount to control the electronic device from the data about the character string at a particular position of the received URL; and

controlling the electronic device based on a result of the discriminating.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device are controlled on the result of the discriminating.

7. A client apparatus, connected to a control apparatus via a network, for operating an electronic device of the control apparatus, comprising:

a description device arranged to describe control information about a type of camera control and control amount to control the electronic device, at a particular position of a URL; and

a requesting device arranged to request the control apparatus to control the electronic device with the type of camera control and the control amount by transferring the control information described at the particular position of the URL.

8. The client apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the requesting device requests the control apparatus to control at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device.

9. A computer readable medium containing program codes to be read and executed by a client apparatus connected to a control apparatus via a network, comprising:

describe-process program codes of executing processing for describing control information about a type of camera control and control amount to control an electronic device at a particular position of a URL; and

requesting-process program codes of executing processing for requesting the control apparatus to control the electronic device with the type of camera control and the control amount by transferring the control information described at the particular position of the URL.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the control apparatus is requested to control at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device.

11. A method for operating an electronic device of a control apparatus executed by a client apparatus, comprising the steps of:

describing control information about a type of camera control and control amount to control the electronic device at a particular position of a URL; and

requesting the control apparatus to control the electronic device with the type of camera control and the control amount by transferring the control information described at the particular position of the URL.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control apparatus is requested to control at least one of panning, tilting, and zooming of the electronic device.