Television – Camera – system and detail – Remote control
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-16
2003-08-26
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Remote control
C348S014030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06611285
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera control system suitable for use in a video conference system, monitor camera, or similar imaging systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to take an image via a camera and display the image on a screen of a display device such as a CRT wherein the camera is panned or tilted by means of remote control while watching the image on the screen.
FIG. 7
illustrates an example of a display screen of such a camera control system. In
FIG. 7
, an image
602
of an object is taken via a camera and displayed in a view window
601
. The direction of the camera can be changed (tilted) in vertical directions in response to the designation given via buttons
603
and
604
. Similarly, the direction of the camera can be changed (panned) in horizontal directions in response to the designation given via buttons
605
and
606
. In
FIG. 7
, there is also shown a cursor
607
on the screen. If the cursor
607
is put on any button
603
-
606
with a mouse or similar device and clicked, the pick-up direction of the camera can be changed in a desired direction.
However, in the conventional technique described above, no information is displayed on the screen about the range within which the direction of the camera can be changed, and a user cannot know the range within which he/she can change the pick-up direction of the camera. Furthermore, when it is desired to rotate the camera by a large amount so as to make a great change in the pick-up direction of the camera, it is required to click a button (
603
-
606
) a great number of times, which is a tedious operation for a user.
Furthermore, in the above technique, the pick-up direction of the camera is controlled in an incremental or decremental fashion relative to a previous direction, and it is impossible to control the viewing direction by designating the absolute camera position or absolute camera angle. For example, when the camera is remote-controlled, there is a time lag between the time of transmitting an operation command and the time of receiving an image from the camera, and thus the pick-up direction of the camera is often changed excessively beyond a desired direction. This makes it difficult to properly control the viewing direction of the camera.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method, apparatus, and system for remote-controlling a video camera and also a storage medium for storing a program used with the method, apparatus and the system, wherein the method, apparatus, system, and storage medium have various features described below:
The range within which the viewing direction of the video camera is clearly displayed so that the video camera can be easily remote-controlled.
The viewing direction of the video camera can be indicated in units of absolute angles.
It is possible to select the range within which the viewing direction of the video camera can be changed.
It is possible to quickly control the video camera in response to given information designating the operation.
It is possible to easily change the viewing direction of the video camera.
Even at any image magnification, it is possible to properly control the amount of change in the viewing direction thereby properly changing the viewing direction of the video camera.
According to one aspect of the present invention to achieve at least one of the above features, there is provided a camera control system including a plurality of camera controllers having the capability of controlling the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the plurality of camera controllers via a network, wherein
each camera controller includes:
viewing direction designating means for designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
viewing direction displaying means for displaying the information about the current viewing direction of the video camera; and wherein
the camera control system further includes a server including:
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera given by any of the plurality of camera controllers; and
transmission means for transmitting the information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled by the control means in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to the other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera controller having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the camera controller via a network, the camera controller including:
viewing direction designating means for designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
viewing direction displaying means for displaying the current viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the received information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, when no designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera is issued.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a server for changing the viewing direction of a video camera in accordance with the designation given by a camera controller connected to the server via a network, the server including:
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera, the designation being received via the network; and
output means for outputting information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled by the control means in accordance with the designation, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a video camera with a camera controller, the video camera being connected to the camera controller via a network, the camera controller having the capability of controlling the viewing direction of the video camera, the method comprising the steps of:
displaying an allowed range within which the viewing direction of the video camera can be changed;
designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
displaying the current viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the received information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, when no designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera is issued.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling the viewing direction of a video camera with a server in accordance with an instruction given by a camera controller connected to the server via a network, the method including the steps of:
controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with designation of a change in the viewing direction of the video camera, the designation being given by the camera controller; and
outputting information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled in the step of controlling the viewing direction, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing programs executed by a camera controller to control the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the camera controller via a network, the programs including:
a program for designating a change to be made in the v
Garber Wendy R.
Tillery Rashawn N.
LandOfFree
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