JP2000083245A - Remote controller for image pickup device and image pickup system and remote control method for image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily operate camera control from a remote place by obtaining parameters of an image pickup device, displaying the position and state of the image pickup device on map information, instructing the image pickup area of the image pickup device on the map information for controlling the image pickup device. SOLUTION: A camera server 102 controls an image pickup device 101 by a camera control server 103. The camera viewer of a GUI(graphical user interface) can display a video transmitted from the camera server 102, and indicate the direction, pan, and tilt of a camera. A camera icon graphically displays the present state (pan, zoom) of the camera on the map of the map guide part of the GUI based on a map control part 113 and first to Nth camera icons 114-1 to 114-N stored in a RAM 112. This map guide part can operate camera control by receiving the input of an operating part 111 from a user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imaging control method and apparatus for capturing a video signal from an imaging device and delivering it to a client via a network, an imaging system, and a storage medium storing a program for executing the method. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A video transmission system has been developed in which a video camera is connected via a network such as the Internet and media data such as video and audio captured by the video camera is transmitted to a plurality of clients via the network. Have been.

[0003] Canon VC-
Cameras that can be connected to a computer and controlled, such as C1 and VC-C3, have appeared. Hereinafter, such a camera is referred to as a “com camera”.

There is a remote monitoring system that connects a comb camera to a network, controls pan, tilt, and zoom from a remote location, and transmits and browses the image via the network. This system is disclosed in JP-A-10-42279.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional transmission system, since the camera is operated from a remote place, what kind of place the camera is actually placed, and what position it is currently facing, Difficult to grasp. Therefore,
There was a problem that it was difficult to quickly browse the image that one wanted to watch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to make it possible to control a camera more easily from a remote place.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a remote control apparatus and an imaging system for an imaging apparatus according to the present invention for remotely controlling an imaging apparatus by changing imaging conditions of the imaging apparatus display map information. Map display means, acquiring the parameters of the imaging device, state display means for displaying the position and state of the imaging device based on the parameters, on the map information displayed on the map display means,
Instruction means for instructing the imaging area by the imaging device on the map information, and control means for controlling the imaging device based on the instruction by the instruction means.

Further, according to the remote control method for an image pickup apparatus of the present invention for remotely controlling an image pickup apparatus by changing an image pickup condition of the image pickup apparatus, a map display step of displaying map information, and a parameter for acquiring parameters of the image pickup apparatus An acquisition step, a state display step of displaying the position and the state of the imaging device based on the parameters obtained in the parameter acquisition step on the map information displayed in the map display step, and a photographing area by the imaging apparatus On the map information, and a control step of controlling the imaging device based on the instruction in the instruction step.

With the above arrangement, the current position and the photographing state of the image pickup apparatus are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner with camera icons, and by directly marking an area to be viewed, the direction and zoom value of the camera can be easily adjusted in accordance with the area. Can be controlled.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the direction of the image pickup device and the angle of view.

Further, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the state display means acquires the parameters of the imaging device at regular intervals. With this configuration, the latest information of the imaging device is displayed.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the parameter includes a direction of the imaging device.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the parameter includes an angle of view of the imaging device.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in order to calculate a control value for controlling the image pickup apparatus based on the designated photographing area, a rectangular area circumscribing the designated photographing area. Is obtained, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of all the vertices on the map information of the rectangular area are obtained, the center direction of the rectangular area is set to the direction of the imaging device, and the narrowest angle of view including all the vertices of the rectangular area is determined. It is calculated as a control value.

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an imaging device, which uses a comb camera. Reference numeral 102 denotes a camera server, which is realized based on a personal computer and connects to the com camera 101. The camera server 102 is a camera control server 103
And a video server 104, and the camera control server controls the comb camera. Further, the video server 104 captures the video of the com camera. This camera server 1
02 can be used by connecting to a network. In this case, the camera control server 1 receives parameters for camera control from an external computer or the like connected via the network, and based on the parameters,
03, the camera 101 can be controlled, and an image captured by the video server 104 can be transmitted to an external computer via a network. A more detailed description of this camera server 102 is described in
42279.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a client machine, which is realized based on a personal computer. In the client machine 105, the CP 106
U, 107 are ROM, 108 is communication interface, 1
09 is an input / output interface, 112 is a RAM,
The RAM 112 stores a program for implementing the present embodiment and data necessary for execution. Specifically, objects of the map control unit 113 and the first to Nth camera icons 114-1 to 114-N are stored. 110 is a display, 111 is a mouse,
An operation unit such as a keyboard. An external storage device 115 drives an external storage medium such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM.
If the control program is stored in an external storage medium instead of holding the control program in 12, the control program is read and downloaded.

FIG. 2 shows a GU according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure showing I (graphical user interface).

The upper part is a camera viewer, which displays an image transmitted from the camera server 102, and instructs the camera direction, pan, tilt, etc., using scroll bars arranged on the right and lower parts of the image. can do. This camera viewer is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-422.
79.

At the bottom are a map guide section and camera icons, and a map control section and first to Nth camera icons 114-1 to 114 stored in the RAM 112.
Display is performed based on -N. The map guide unit receives a mouse input from the user and controls the camera. The camera icon graphically displays the current camera state (pan, zoom) on a map in the map guide unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a state indicated by a camera icon. In FIG. 3, the camera icon displays the current field of view in a fan-shaped area. (A) shows a state at the time of zoom-out, and (b) shows a state at the time of zoom-in.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the currently photographed area is graphically displayed in a fan shape, so that it is possible to determine where the camera is currently photographed and in which direction. Such information can be easily grasped.

It is assumed that the comb camera is accessed by a plurality of users at the same time. In this case, confusion occurs when a plurality of users try to operate the camera at the same time.
Therefore, the concept of control authority is introduced, and only a user having the control authority can control the camera.

For example, when a user wants to control a comb camera, the user requests a control right from a camera server,
If there is no client having the control right at that time, the control right is given to the user who has requested the control right. Control is given for a period of time,
While having the control right, the camera can be controlled. When another client has the control right of the com camera when the control right is requested, the control right is given after the control right of the client is cut off. The time when the control right is given, the priority of the client, and the like can be variously set. A detailed description of the control right is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-42279.

In the present invention, to visually indicate the presence or absence of the control right, when the control right is held, the camera icon is surrounded by a frame of a conspicuous color such as yellow. I have. FIG. 3C illustrates a state when the control right is not held, and FIG. 3D illustrates a state when the control right is held. Note that the method of indicating control right retention is not limited to surrounding the camera icon with a color frame.
For example, if you do not hold the control right, the camera icon is displayed with a dotted line.If you hold the control right, the camera icon is displayed with a solid line, the color of the camera icon itself is changed, etc. It only needs to be shown to the user.

Next, a procedure for displaying a camera icon will be described with reference to FIG.

First, initialization is performed in step S401. Here, creation of an icon image, initialization of various variables, and the like are performed. Next, in step S402,
It connects to the camera control server 103 and proceeds to step S403.

In step S403, it is checked whether the connection to the camera control server 103 has been disconnected. If disconnected, the process proceeds to step S404, and the process ends. If the camera has not been disconnected, the process proceeds to step S405, in which the camera control server 103 is inquired of the current pan value and zoom value of the comb camera. In step S406, the camera icon is rotated according to the obtained pan value and zoom value. It is displayed on the map of the map guide section shown in FIG.

Next, referring to FIG.
Will be described.

First, in step S501, initialization is performed. Here, creation of a map image, initialization of various editing functions, and the like are performed. Next, in step S502, connection to the camera server 102 is made, and in step S503, a camera icon is created. The created camera icon is displayed on the map of the map guide unit according to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S504, it is checked whether or not there is a mouse press event from the user. If there is an event, go to step S505; otherwise, go to step S505.
Proceed to 508.

In step S505, it is determined whether or not a mouse press event from the user has occurred on a camera icon. If the event is a mouse press event on a camera icon (Yes in step S505), the process advances to step S506 to request the camera control server 103 for control. If the event is a mouse press event on an area other than the camera icon (No in step S505), the process advances to step S507 to initialize a mouse locus storage vector described later.

In step S508, it is checked whether or not there is a mouse drag event from the user. If there is an event, the coordinates of the mouse pointer position are stored as a mouse locus storage vector at regular intervals in step S509, and the locus indicated by the mouse pointer is displayed on the map in the map guide unit in step S515. A display example of this locus will be described later with reference to FIG. If there is no drag event, the process proceeds to step S510.

In step S510, it is checked whether or not there is a mouse release event from the user (an event for releasing the mouse from the pressed state). If there is no event, the process proceeds to step S515, and if there is an event, the process proceeds to step S511. In step S511, it is determined whether or not the client machine has the control right. If not, the process proceeds to step S515.

If the user has the control right, step S
In 512, the minimum value, the maximum value, and the median value are obtained for each of the X-axis and the Y-axis from the data stored as the mouse locus storage vector. By obtaining these values, it is possible to obtain a rectangular area having the minimum size including the locus of the mouse.

In step S513, step S5
The rectangular area calculated in step 12 is compared with the coordinates of the camera icon to determine the pan and zoom values of the camera.

An example of the procedure of steps S512 and S513 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

First, the left limit of the viewing angle θ1 is determined from the difference between the coordinates of the camera and the coordinates of the upper left corner of the rectangular area, and the right limit of the viewing angle is determined from the difference between the coordinates of the camera and the coordinates of the lower right corner of the rectangular area. Find the limit θ2. Further, from the difference between the coordinates of the camera and the center coordinates of the rectangular area, the camera orientation (center angle) θ
Ask for 3.

The above procedure is performed by the CPU 106 in the RAM.
This can be realized by executing a program stored in the storage 112.

In step S514, the camera is operated based on the value obtained in step S513 as described above. In other words, the camera control server 103 is requested to rotate the camera by θ3 degrees and set the viewing angle (zoom) to (θ1−θ2). After that, all the mouse locus storage vectors are cleared, and the process proceeds to step S515.

In step S515, the background map, the photographing state of the camera, the locus of the mouse (if the mouse locus storage vector is not empty, ie, steps S509 and S51)
0, the process is re-drawn in the order of (when the process proceeds to step S515).

In step S516, it is checked whether the connection with the camera control server 103 has been disconnected. If disconnected, the process proceeds to step S517, and the process ends.
If not disconnected, the process returns to step S504, and steps S504 to S516 are repeated.

By operating as described above, the status of the comb camera can be displayed in real time with a camera icon.

In FIG. 6, for the sake of simplicity, the situation where the camera icon is pointing right is taken as an example.
Since the direction in which the camera is actually installed is various, it is necessary to calculate the angle in consideration of the direction of the camera.

Next, an example of an image displayed on the map guide section when controlled according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the camera icon is in the state shown in the left figure of FIG. 7A and the upper right area of the "lobby" is marked with a mouse as shown in the figure, the marked area is photographed as shown in the right figure. Then, the pan and zoom of the comb camera are controlled, and the pan and zoom states after the control are displayed on the map guide unit.

When the camera icon is in the state shown in the upper left or lower left of FIG. 7B and the user wants to narrow the photographing range, that is, when he wants to zoom in, marking is performed so as to narrow the area to be viewed. As shown, the comb camera zooms in so as to capture the designated area, and the state after zooming in is displayed on the map guide unit.

When the camera icon is in the state shown in the upper left or lower left of FIG. 7 (c), and the user wants to widen the shooting range, that is, when he wants to zoom out, marking is performed so as to enlarge the area he wants to see. As shown, the comb camera zooms out so as to capture the designated area, and the state after zooming out is displayed on the map guide unit.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the photographing range and the like are designated by the operation of the mouse has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the designation may be made by providing a touch sensor on the display. Any form can be used as long as it is possible.

[0049]

Another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) May perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing may realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instructions of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the above-described flowcharts. Each module shown will be stored in a storage medium. That is, the program codes of at least the map display module, the parameter acquisition module, the camera icon drawing module, the imaging area input module, and the imaging device control module may be stored in the storage medium.

[0055]

As described above, according to the above configuration, the current position and the photographing state of the comb camera can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner with the camera icon. It is possible to easily control the camera direction and the zoom value according to the area.

[0056]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a user interface of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state indicated by a camera icon.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for displaying a camera icon.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a map control unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for obtaining pan and zoom values.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing designation of a shooting region and a display example after designation.

FIG. 8 is a memory map diagram of a program code used for remote control of the imaging apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 imaging device 102 camera server 103 camera control server 104 video server 105 client machine 106 CPU 107 ROM 108 communication interface 109 input / output interface 110 display 111 operation unit 112 RAM 113 map control unit 114-1 to 114-N camera icon 115 external storage apparatus

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A remote control device for an imaging device for remotely controlling an imaging device by changing an imaging condition of the imaging device, comprising: map display means for displaying map information; and acquiring parameters of the imaging device. Status display means for displaying the position and the state of the imaging device on the map information displayed on the map display means based on the parameter; and for indicating a shooting area by the imaging device on the map information. A remote control device for an image pickup apparatus, comprising: an instruction unit; and a control value calculation unit that calculates a control value for controlling the image pickup device based on an imaging region indicated by the instruction unit. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the control value calculating unit calculates an orientation of the imaging device and an angle of view. 3. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the status display unit acquires a parameter of the imaging device at predetermined time intervals. 4. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter includes a direction of the imaging device. 5. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter includes an angle of view of the imaging device. 6. The control value calculating means obtains a rectangular area circumscribing the photographing area specified by the specifying means, obtains X coordinates and Y coordinates of all vertices on the map information of the rectangular area, The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a center direction of the region is set to the direction of the imaging device, and a narrowest view angle including all vertexes of the rectangular region is calculated as a control value. Remote control device. 7. An imaging system for remotely controlling an imaging device by changing an imaging condition of the imaging device, comprising: a map display unit for displaying map information; and a parameter of the imaging device, and based on the parameter, Status display means for displaying the position and the state of the imaging device on the map information displayed on the map display means; andinstruction means for instructing the imaging area of the imaging device on the map information, Control means for controlling the imaging device based on an instruction from the instruction means. 8. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit controls an orientation of the imaging device and an angle of view. 9. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the status display unit acquires a parameter of the imaging device at predetermined time intervals. 10. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the parameter includes an orientation of the imaging device. 11. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the parameter includes an angle of view of the imaging device. 12. A control value calculating means for calculating a control value for controlling the image pickup apparatus based on a photographing area instructed by the instructing means and outputting the control value to the control means. The control value calculating means obtains a rectangular area circumscribing the imaging area specified by the specifying means, obtains X and Y coordinates of all vertices on the map information of the rectangular area, and determines the center direction of the rectangular area. 12. The imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the direction of the imaging device is set as a direction, and a narrowest angle of view including all vertices of the rectangular area is calculated as a control value. 13. A remote control method for an imaging device for remotely controlling an imaging device by changing imaging conditions of the imaging device, comprising: a map display step of displaying map information; and a parameter acquisition for acquiring parameters of the imaging device. A state display step of displaying, on the map information displayed in the map display step, a position and a state of the imaging device based on the parameters obtained in the parameter obtaining step; And a control step of controlling the imaging apparatus based on an instruction in the instruction step. 14. The remote control method according to claim 13, wherein in the control step, a direction and an angle of view of the imaging device are controlled. 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein in the parameter acquiring step, parameters of the imaging device are acquired at regular time intervals. 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the parameter includes a direction of the imaging device. 17. The remote control method according to claim 13, wherein the parameter includes an angle of view of the imaging device. 18. A control value calculating step of calculating a control value for controlling the image pickup device based on a shooting area specified in the specifying step, and outputting the control value, In the calculating step, a rectangular area circumscribing the photographing area specified in the specifying step is determined, X and Y coordinates of all vertices on the map information of the rectangular area are determined, and the center direction of the rectangular area is determined by the imaging device. The remote control method for an imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the direction of the rectangular area and the narrowest angle of view including all vertices of the rectangular area are calculated as a control value. 19. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for remotely controlling an imaging device by changing an imaging condition of the imaging device, wherein: a code for a map display step of displaying map information; And a position display state of the imaging device based on the parameters obtained in the parameter obtaining step and a position and a state of the imaging device on the map information displayed in the map display step. A code of an instruction step of instructing the imaging area by the imaging device on the map information, and a code of a control step of controlling the imaging apparatus based on the instruction in the instruction step. Computer readable memory.