Detection area adjustment apparatus

• US 7,880,766 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Katsuji, Yoshida, Atsushi, Araki, Shouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/115,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20050219361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-168
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A detection area adjustment apparatus automatically detects the entire target detection area without producing any dead areas and without requiring cameras to be previously fixed at regular intervals, even in the case where a camera is broken. The detection area adjustment apparatus includes plural camera terminals. Each of the plural camera terminals includes a camera whose detection area is adjustable, an adjustment unit that adjusts the position of the detection area by controlling the camera, and a communication unit that communicates the detection area information indicating the detection area of the camera. The adjustment unit adjusts the position of the detection area of the camera in the current camera terminal so that the total area of the detection areas of the plural camera terminals covers the entire target detection area based on the detection area of the camera in the current camera terminal and the detection areas of the cameras in the other camera terminals.

Claims

1. A detection range adjustment device, comprising:

camera terminals connected to each other via a communication line, wherein the detection range adjustment device is operable to enable capturing of an image in a target detection range by adjusting detection ranges which are imaging ranges of the camera terminals,

each of the camera terminals comprising;

a camera operable to capture an image of a detection range included in the target detection range, the camera including a unit operable to change a position of the detection range and a spatial resolution of the detection range;

a communication unit operable to send, to another camera terminal among the camera terminals, detection range information including information for identifying the detection range and information for identifying the spatial resolution of the detection range, via the communication line, and operable to receive detection range information from the other camera terminal; and

an adjustment unit operable to adjust the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range by controlling a camera of a camera terminal so that

     1) an undetectable range, which does not belong to any of the detection ranges of the camera terminals, is not included in a surrounding area adjacent to the detection range and

     2) the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal and a spatial resolution of the detection range of the other camera terminal become approximately the same, based on the detection range information of the camera terminal and the detection range information of the other camera terminal received by the communication unit,

wherein the adjustment unit is operable to control the camera of the camera terminal so that an amount of an overlap area of the detection range of the camera terminal and a detection range of an adjacent detection range of the camera terminal is smaller than a certain value, and

the adjustment unit is operable to adjust the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal to a position and a spatial resolution which are obtained by repeating the following;

selecting the detection range which is adjacent to the detection range of the camera terminal, from detection ranges of the camera terminals;

calculating an overlap range differential amount which is a difference between a predetermined target amount and an overlap range amount of the selected adjacent detection range and the detection range of the camera terminal;

calculating a spatial resolution differential amount which is a difference between the spatial resolution of the selected detection range and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal; and

calculating the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal, the position and the spatial resolution enabling the overlap range differential amount and the spatial resolution differential amount to be close to 0.

2. The detection range adjustment device according to claim 1,

wherein the adjustment unit is operable to calculate the spatial resolution differential amount using a function which takes a smallest value when the spatial resolution of the selected detection range is equal to the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal.

3. The detection range adjustment device according to claim 2,

wherein the camera having the detection range whose spatial resolution is adjustable has a spatial resolution that is adjustable within a certain range, and

the function takes a smallest value when the spatial resolution of the selected detection range is equal to the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal in the case where the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal is within the certain range.

4. The detection range adjustment device according to claim 1,

wherein, in the case where the camera of the camera terminal has detected a target detection object or has received a specification about a spatial resolution of the target detection object, the adjustment unit is operable to adjust, prior to the adjustment of the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range, the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal to a spatial resolution based on the detected target detection object or the specified spatial resolution.

5. The detection range adjustment device according to claim 1,

further comprising:

a synthesis unit operable to obtain images captured by the cameras of the camera terminals and operable to synthesize the captured images as a spatially continuous image; and

a display unit operable to display the synthesized image.

6. A detection range adjustment device comprising:

camera terminals; and

an adjustment device,

wherein the camera terminals and the adjustment device are connected to each other via a communication line,

the detection range adjustment device being operable to enable the capturing of an image of a target detection range by adjusting detection ranges which are imaging ranges of the camera terminals,

each of the camera terminals comprising;

a camera operable to capture an image of the detection range included in the target detection range, the camera including a unit operable to change a position of the detection range and a spatial resolution of the detection range; and

a communication unit operable to send, to the adjustment device, detection range information including information for identifying the detection range and information for identifying the spatial resolution of the detection range via the communication line, operable to receive the specification from the adjustment device, and operable to adjust the position of the detection range and the spatial resolution of the detection range by controlling a camera of a camera terminal according to the received specification,

wherein the adjustment device includes;

a communication unit operable to instruct the camera terminals to adjust positions and spatial resolutions of detection ranges so that

     1) an undetectable range, which does not belong to any of the detection ranges of the camera terminals, is not included in the detection ranges and

     2) the spatial resolutions of the detection ranges of the camera terminals become approximately the same, based on the detection range information, and

wherein the adjustment device is operable to control the camera of the camera terminal so that an amount of an overlap area of the detection range of the camera terminal and a detection range of an adjacent detection range of the camera terminal is smaller than a certain value, and

the adjustment device is operable to adjust the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal to a position and a spatial resolution which are obtained by repeating the following;

selecting the detection range which is adjacent to the detection range of the camera terminal, from detection ranges of the camera terminals;

calculating an overlap range differential amount which is a difference between a predetermined target amount and an overlap range amount of the selected adjacent detection range and the detection range of the camera terminal;

calculating a spatial resolution differential amount which is a difference between the spatial resolution of the selected detection range and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal; and

calculating the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal, the position and the spatial resolution enabling the overlap range differential amount and the spatial resolution differential amount to be close to 0.

7. A detection range adjustment device comprising:

sensor terminals which are connected to each other via a communication line,

wherein the detection range adjustment device is operable to enable the detecting of physical values in a target detection range by adjusting detection ranges in which the sensor terminals detect the physical values,

each of the sensor terminals comprising;

a sensor operable to detect physical values in the detection range included in the target detection range, the sensor including a unit operable to change a position of the detection range and a spatial resolution of the detection range;

a communication unit operable to send, to another sensor terminal among the sensor terminals, detection range information including information for identifying the detection range and information for identifying the spatial resolution of the detection range, via the communication line, and operable to receive detection range information from the other sensor terminal; and

an adjustment unit operable to adjust the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range by controlling the sensor of a sensor terminal so that

     1) an undetectable range, which does not belong to any detection ranges of the sensor terminals, is not included in the detection range and

     2) spatial resolutions of the detection ranges of the sensor terminals become approximately the same, based on the detection range information of the sensor terminal and the detection range information of the other sensor terminal received by the communication unit,

wherein the adjustment unit is operable to control a sensor of the sensor terminal so that an amount of an overlap area of the detection range of the sensor terminal and a detection range of an adjacent detection range of the sensor terminal is smaller than a certain value, and

the adjustment unit is operable to adjust the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the sensor terminal to a position and a spatial resolution which are obtained by repeating the following;

selecting the detection range which is adjacent to the detection range of the sensor terminal, from detection ranges of the sensor terminals;

calculating an overlap range differential amount which is a difference between a predetermined target amount and an overlap range amount of the selected adjacent detection range and the detection range of the sensor terminal;

calculating a spatial resolution differential amount which is a difference between the spatial resolution of the selected detection range and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the sensor terminal; and

calculating the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the sensor terminal, the position and the spatial resolution enabling the overlap range differential amount and the spatial resolution differential amount to be close to 0.

8. A detection range adjustment method used in a camera system including camera terminals, each of which including a camera having a detection range, which is an imaging range, whose position and spatial resolution of the detection range are changeable, and a communication unit operable to send and receive detection range information of the camera and another camera of a camera terminal among the camera terminals, the detection range information including information for indicating the detection range of each camera and information for identifying the spatial resolution of the detection range, the detection range adjustment method enabling capturing of an image of a target detection range by adjusting detection ranges, the detection range adjustment method comprising:

adjusting positions of the detection ranges and spatial resolutions of the detection ranges by controlling the camera of each camera terminal so that, an undetectable range, which does not belong to any of the detection ranges of the camera terminals, is not included in the detection ranges and the spatial resolutions of the detection ranges of the camera terminals become approximately the same, based on the detection range information of a camera terminal and the detection range information of the other camera terminal received by the communication unit,

wherein the adjusting step controls the camera of the camera terminal so that an amount of an overlap area of the detection range of the camera terminal and a detection range of an adjacent detection range of the camera terminal is smaller than a certain value, and

the adjustment step adjusts the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal to a position and a spatial resolution which are obtained by repeating the following;

selecting the detection range which is adjacent to the detection range of the camera terminal, from detection ranges of the camera terminals;

calculating an overlap range differential amount which is a difference between a predetermined target amount and an overlap range amount of the selected adjacent detection range and the detection range of the camera terminal;

calculating a spatial resolution differential amount which is a difference between the spatial resolution of the selected detection range and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal; and

calculating the position and the spatial resolution of the detection range of the camera terminal, the position and the spatial resolution enabling the overlap range differential amount and the spatial resolution differential amount to be close to 0.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program which is used in a camera system which includes camera terminals, each of which including a camera having a detection range, which is an imaging range, which are changeable, and a communication unit which sends and receives detection range information indicating the detection range of the camera and another camera of a camera terminal among the camera terminals, the program being intended for camera terminals which enable capturing of an image of the target detection range by adjusting detection ranges, the program causing a computer to execute adjusting included in the detection range adjustment method according to claim 8.